Unexpected
by Kat721
Summary: When she was four the orphanage kicked her out and into the streets. One month later Jiraya stops in the village and decides to take her with him. He takes the child to Tsunade and they end up raising her togther. Find out what happens when Konoha is looking for a new hokage to carve onto their mountain. SasuFemNaru
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **~Rolls eyes~ I think we both know by now how these things work. I don't own, and If I did... Naruto wouldn't be the same awesome story that we know and love.

The young girl stares at the silent woman as she glares down at her from her spot on the porch. The younger fliches when the woman starts yelling at her again. "Get out of here you monster! Shoo! My job is to help children get adopted and I won't have you here to mess up their chance at happiness!"

Hot tears fall from the young girls eyes and she turns and runs blindly away from the angry woman. It has always been like this for the girl. She remembers the time when she had finally managed to sneak out of the orphanage with some money she found and saved to go and try to buy some food.

~Flashback~

The nurses always told her that she didn't deserve any because of all the people she hurt but she doesn't remember hurting anyone. They also call her 'monster' or 'beast' but that's not her name. Her name is Naruto but she likes Naru better.

Naru was walking through a crowded street when someone noticed her and seemed to know who she was. He whispered to the people next to him and from there the whispers spread. All around her people scattered out of the way and stood on their tiptoes to try and see her. She ignored them and walked to a small shop that sold bread.

Before she cold get there a woman grabbed her shoulder and shook her head. She had dark but kind eyes and her hair swayed gently in the evening breeze. "Go home, It's not safe for you here." She whispered so quietly that the girl almost didn't hear her.

Naru glanced longingly at the bread. The woman followed her hungry gaze and her heart broke for the young girl. The woman stuffed a warm bundle of her own bread into the girls hands. The girl offered her the money but she refused to take it. "Take this too." She tells Naru as she puts something into her other hand.

She looked down at it but all she could see was a small brown bag. "Thank you." She told her with gratitude. A small smile lifted the corners of the woman's mouth and she steered Naru so that she was facing the way she took to get here. The girl remembers taking off a small piece of the bread and obediently began walking as she ate it, taking the time to savor the feeling of food in her stomach.

She shoved the rest of the bread into her pocket with the brown bag. She is used to never feeling full, so for now the small bit that she ate is enough. The sun dipped lower into the sky, casting the abandoned streets into shadows. Naru was trying to follow the kind woman's advice when she got lost and barely managed to find her way back to the street in front of the orphanage.

The doors bursted open and the angry nurse come out yelling at the girl telling her that she should have stayed in bed like a 'good little demon' because for all they knew she was 'out slaying the whole village.'

~End Flashback~

That was the night she was literally kicked out. Naru wandered around for over a month by herself, trying to stay alive wherever and however she could. After the fourth week she was so tired and weak from the number af beatings and lack of food that she decided that she just wanted to sleep and never wake up.

With an effort that was beyond what she had thought her small body was capable of, she made her way to the one quiet place in the village she could find. The monument in remembrance of the fourth Hokage. She slowly traces her tiny fingers over the lines that spell out his name and feels a small amount of pride at the fact that she taught herself how to read and could now recognize his name.

A sharp pain runs through Naru's stomach but she ignores the insistent growling. She closes her eyes and thinks about the bag that the woman had left her with. It turned out to be a kind of candy and It lasted for three weeks before she finally emptied the bag of the last precious piece.

After that the small girl slowly got more and more hungry. She curls up on her side with her back to the warm stone of the monument and lets the darkness overcome her.

"..id!"

"Hey!"

"Hey kid!"

"Wake up!"

A gentle shaking rocks Naruto's body back and fourth uncomfortably and she opens her eyes to find a very large man with white hair reaching out to shake her again. She moans and hears him sigh with relief. Her eyes fly open when she feels his arms pick her swiftly up off of the ground. "Why...?" she tries to ask. "It looks like you need someone to take care of you and I think I will be the perfect man for the job." He answers truthfully with a lopsided grin. "Thank you." She whispers for the second time in her life. She lets the gentle sway of his footsteps lull her back into sleep.

The next time she wakes up was to the face of a woman she has never met before holding her wrist with two fingers placed just below her thumb. "Welcome back to the world of the living. The pervert has admitted that he needs help for once so until I stop gloating over my victory, you and I are going to be stuck together like glue."

As she talked she pointed to a heap of 'clothing' on the ground that shifted and let out a moan. A satisfied look crossed her features and the girl laughed at them as soon as she realizes that the two of them are only playing. After four years of hate and rage the laughter was foreign to her body. After the adults come out of their stunned silence they join her. Naru listens to the way their laughter harmonizes with her own and makes a decision.

'I will do what I can to keep anyone else from crying because laughing feels so much better.' It may be a child's naïve dream, but it is that naïve dream that she works constantly to turn into reality.


	2. Chapter 1

The now older girl looks up from her spot on the grass and releases the flow of sage chakra that she's been using for the last hour. She turns to her long-haired companion "Ero-sennin there are four coming from on the right."

The man stands and dusts off his pants. "I'll go get Tsunade." The girl nods and returns to her meditating.

She waits until the soft whisper of his footsteps fades before she reaches for the kyuubi's chakra. She thinks back to the time she befriended Kurama and mastered his chakra. His golden chakra surrounds her body bringing a sense of peace along with a slight hint of worry from her tenant.

The girl sends waves of comfort to her friend through the seal. He growls in warning, but accepts the feelings and both of them relax. When the four ninja come within hearing distance she pushes a bit of the borrowed chakra into her hands and forms the seal used for summoning. A puff of smoke reveals a small red fox. She releases her hold on the kyuubi's chakra just before the strangers come within a distance that they can sense it. The girl smiles at the fox and begins to pet him as he crawls into her lap.

She keeps herself relaxed and non-threatening as they slow their pace to approach her. Three males and one female cautiously walk closer to the girl, all of them with a leaf symbol on their headbands.

The girl watches the four as they get closer. She can tell that the one with silver hair is the leader because his footsteps seem lighter and more experienced. The pink haired girl has good chakra control and is using less to run then her other two teammates. _She would make a decent med-nin._ Thinks the girl as she strokes the foxes fur again.

Both of the younger males have dark hair and eyes with light skin. The girl can't help but raise an eyebrow at their similarities. Their chakra tells a different story than their looks though. The boy with the longer hair seems to have forced control over his emotions while the other seems to barely have any emotion at all.

The leader stops in front of the girl and watches her warily as she continues to pet the fox. None of the Konoha-nin can see her face because it is fully covered by a fox mask similar to the one an ANBU would wear. Two triangles stand out on her mask more than the foxes features. An orange triangle is inside of a red triangle. Each of the orange triangles points is touching the red the center of the lines that make up the red triangle.

What the four visitors don't realize is that the orange and red triangles on the side of her mask signifies her relationship with Kurama, whom she is gently stroking in her lap. The silver-haired man raises one hand in greeting. "Hi there. I'm sorry for disturbing you, but we are looking for someone and it is very important that we find her."

The girl looks at them directly for the first time and pulls off the hood revealing her long blond hair. The pink haired female gasps as her brilliant blond hair is revealed. She has never seen such a brilliant hair color before. The males don't react outwardly but they silently agree. "Who are you looking for?" Asks the girl.

The long-haired boy looks closer at the girl as his curiosity takes hold, but he still seems nonchalant and emotionless on the outside. Something about this blond grabs his attention and he can't seem to be able to look away.

"A woman by the name of Tsunade." Says the silver-haired man. The blond doesn't seem to approve of this but she remains polite.

"Why are you looking for her?" She asks. The man examines her body language for a couple of seconds.

"So you do know her?" He asks, coming to the conclusion that this girl does indeed know Tsunade.

"It really depends on why you want to see her." Says the girl with her voice thick with humor.

"If I said that Konoha had important business with her would you consider taking us to her?" The girl seems to ponder the question before she answers the question.

"No." Her voice still clearly tells how amused she is by the whole situation.

The pink haired girl groans impatiently. "Come on sensei, lets just go. I bet this girl just says she knows Tsunade-sama so that she can tell all of her friends that she talked to a ninja." The blond shakes her head at the other females ridiculous assumption. The girls words get her thinking though. Just how many people really would do what the pinkette suggested? Nevertheless, the other girl should have felt for her chakra before she assumed that she was just another villager seeking popularity among her peers.

The man must see the blonds head move slightly and raises one curious eyebrow at her. "Can I ask why you won't take us to her?" He asks kindly.

"Of course!" says the blond cheerfully. "Ero-sennin just went to get her and they should arrive back here shortly."

Understanding runs through the mans one visible eye. The girl opens and closes her mouth several times as if trying to find a way to fix her mistake. The emotionless boy watches his female teammate silently for a moment. "If I can not call you ugly, then may I call you fish face?"

The girls face turns red and she glares at the boy. She raises one fist but the other boy finally tears his gaze away from the blond and glares at her. "Sakura. Don't." She drops her fist but sticks her tongue out at the one that insulted her.

While they argue the blond silently gathers sage chakra and reaches out in the direction that she knows her guardians to be in. She feels them just outside of the hospital and releases her hold on the nature chakra.

When the blond opens her eyes she notices that the others are staring at her. _They must have felt my chakra spike._ She thinks with amusement. "You might as well sit down. They just left the hospital and Baa-chan is going to be hungry when she gets back."

The silver-haired man pulls out a book and the blond immediately recognizes it as one of Jiraya's. She rolls her eyes and starts pulling out the supplies she will need to make the seven of them some dinner. As the girl works the other four ninja sit but they don't seem to completely relax.

Finally, after a couple minutes of silence, the blond becomes bored and decides to get to know her guests. "So what are your names?" She asks. The man lifts up his head and puts his book back into his pouch.

"My name is Kakashi and these three are my students. The girl is Sakura and the two boys are Sai and Sasuke."

The girl smiles even though she knows that won't be able to see it under her mask. "It's nice to meet you. My name is-"

"Naruto!" A busty blonde and white-haired ninja come into view. "Have you made dinner?"

"Hi Baa-chan, Ero-sennin! Dinner just finished cooking!" The girl hands out servings to everyone and they all begin to eat.

When they finish Tsunade looks up and seems to notice their guests for the first time. "What do you people want?" She asks rudely.

"They said that they are looking for you." Says Naru quietly.

"What for?" Asks Tsunade.

"We are here to formally ask you to return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves and consider taking the position of Hokage." Replies Kakashi as he places his empty bowl on the ground.

=D =D =D =D =D =/

Feel free to tell me what you think. Good or bad, I promise not to bite.


	3. Chapter 2

A minute passes. Then two. Finally Tsunade turns to Naru. "Why don't the four of you go off and train for a bit?" Naru takes the hint that Tsunade wants to be left alone with the other two adults and gets up to leave.

The three students don't seem to understand like Naru does and stay seated. "But why do we have to leave?" Asks Sakura. The ninja in training see a vein pop in Tsunade's forehead and practically jump in their haste to leave.

"Follow me guys!" Calls Naru. She sets the fox on the ground and starts running in a seemingly random direction. The three do as she says and just like that they are on their way to train while the three adults talk.

Tsunade sits on the grass and pulls out a hidden bottle of saké along with a small cup. Kakashi waits for her to pour and take a drink before he asks again.

"Will you become the Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the leaves?" She pours again and takes another drink, but this time she takes her time and drinks it in small sips. "I refuse."

Kakashi's visible eye widens slightly before his many years of ninja training take effect and he schools his face back into a seemingly emotionless mask.

He glances at Jiraya who doesn't seem at all surprised by the refusal and then turns back to Tsunade. "Do you mind if I ask why not?"

A small smile tugs at the womans lips. "No, go ahead." Kakashi looks mildly stunned. He had not expected the slightly childish answer.

"Ok, then why do you refuse to be Hokage?" His curiosity seems genuine. He would never want the position himself, but he was curious as to why she wouldn't take it.

Tsunade sighs before she pours another cup and seals the bottle back into its hiding place. "Did you get to talk to the kid in length before we got here?" The silver-haired man shakes his head no.

Tsunade swallows her last cup full of saké and puts the cup with the bottle. "When I met her, she had three broken ribs, her leg was broken in two different places, a broken wrist, and numerous cuts and bruises. These were only the freshest of her injuries. She was also extremely malnourished. It took Jiraya and I almost a year to convince her to eat more than a once every two to three days. She was afraid of either being punished or eating too much and not having any later on. It took us another two years to get her to eat normally and healthily enough so that she would gain enough weight so that we could no longer see her ribs."

Kakashi's eyes widen in surprise. "How did all of that happen to begin with? And where? I don't know of any place that would treat a child in such a way." Jiraya and Tsunade share a look before Jiraya speaks up. "That child is Namekaze-Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha."

Kakashi pales rapidly. "I thought he... I mean the orphanage said that... and the people were supposed to..."

"Three things." Interrupts Jiraya. "The orphanage probably lied through their teeth. The villagers never saw Naru as a hero like Minato wanted. And Naruto is, in fact, a girl. She prefers the nickname Naru."

Kakashi opens and closes his mouth a couple of times before he finally manages to find his voice. "I thought Minato-sensei said that they thought it was a boy." Jiraya laughs quietly.

"They did think she was a boy. However they had no way of knowing for sure because at the time Kushina was the jinchuriki, so they couldn't tell the baby's gender because the kyuubi's chakra blocked the ultrasound image."

Understanding floods through Kakashi like a tidal wave. He opens his mouth to ask more questions but shuts it when he notices that the four teens have just returned from training.

All three of his students looked like they had just been trained by Gai for an entire month with how worn out they look. He glances at the masked figure of his sensei's daughter and immediately he wants to talk to her. _Is the girl more like her mother or father? I wonder..._

"Naru. How exactly did you train with them?" Asks Tsunade with a hint of amusement laced into her voice.

Naruto shrugs. "I only asked if they wanted to have a race." The fox shakes its head in mock sympathy for the three older students.

Sakura groans and lays on the ground. "I will never, ever, challenge you to another race, ever again." She states between pants.

"But, why not Sakura-chan?" Asks Naru with a pout.

The pinkheaded girl glares playfully for a moment. "Because I never thought that Gai-sensei would be more sane than a teenage girl!"

Naru seems to deflate slightly under her cloak before she perks back up again. "So when do we leave?"

Tsunade raises one pale blond eyebrow. "Leave for where?" She asks the younger blond.

"To Konoha of course!" Says Naru excitedly.

"Why would we be going there?" Asks Tsunade angrily.

Naru looks slightly stunned. "Aren't you going to be the fifth? It's always been my dream to go there, and we have been everywhere else. And look at the friends I have already made!" The adults look at the said 'friends' who are worn out and panting heavily.

Tsunade sighs. "If you really want to go, than I guess..." She never gets to finish her sentence because as soon as she heard what sounded like permission, Naru jumps up and yells happily.

Each shinobi pulls out their own sleeping bag and places it near the fire for its offered warmth. Naru offers to take watch because her excitement makes it nearly impossible for the girl to sleep. Sasuke looks at the girl through the bright flames. Her hair is dancing in the calm breeze, making it look like it is dancing with the fire. He closes his eyes and falls into a vivid dream full of light and warmth.

Sasuke wakes up several hours later when he hears soft voices just outside of their camp. He glances at Sai and notices that his silent teammate is also awake and is already listening to the muffled conversation. He looks across the fire and doesn't see Naru on her bag. Sai puts his finger to his lips in a warning to stay quiet and Sasuke nods. His curiosity peaks when he notices that one voice is unfamiliar and masculine. The other voice belongs to Naru.

The masculine voice speaks again. Jealousy bubbles unbidden through Sasuke. He forces the strange new emotion away so that he can listen to the conversation.

"I know it's your dream to go back Naru, but I don't think it is a good idea. Don't you remember how they treated you? If they find out that you are friends with me it could be a lot worse."

"Kyuu, I understand why you are worried but I can take care of myself. I am considered a high level jounin in Earth, Wind, Water, and Lightning countries."

"That doesn't mean you will defend yourself against those you consider innocent."

"... Go to bed Kyuu. It does no good to think about that until we get there."

It once again goes silent and the two boys glance at each other in awe and confusion. Awe because Naru was apparently a lot stronger than she seems and confusion because of the rest of the conversation.

Sai shrugs his shoulders and points back to the camp. Sasuke nods. The two of them return to the camp where the others are still sleeping. Sasuke makes a mental note to ask about it later.

=D =D =D =D =D =D =/

Hi! If you are still reading this story then it must be at least ok. So far I have nothing but positive comments so I'm really excited about that.

If you have any questions about the story just let me know and I will do my best to answer you.

Throughout the story don't be worried about telling me about any errors that I have made and feel free to 'constructively criticize' my work.

^_^ I hope to see all of you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 3

The next morning Sasuke and Sai get up early and crawl out of their sleeping bags. Both boys have to hide their surprise when they notice their sensei sitting with the two older ninja. The three of them have already put their supplies back into their bags and are talking quietly while preparing breakfast.

Sakura wakes up seconds after the boys and her eyes widen dramatically. "Sensei! You're early!"

Kakashi looks at her lazily. "You would be early too if you had a certain fox growling in your face."

The girl visibly grows paler and shudders. In Konoha foxes are considered bad luck. Every ninja in training and villager is taught about the kyuubi at a young age. She looks around. "Where is that girl anyway?" She asks.

"Naru is training with Kurama somewhere around here. If you want to you can watch but depending on what the are doing you will want to be careful about how close you get." Says Tsunade seriously.

Sasuke raises one eyebrow and starts to search for the blond that has already managed to capture his curiosity. Uchiha's don't find just anyone interesting. He can hear Sai following and he takes a second to nod back to him. Sai returns the gesture and they continue their search.

After several minutes of searching they finally find a large clearing and in it they find the blond. She is sitting in the exact middle and the fox is sitting not far away. A strange chakra signature catches both boys attention and they watch with hidden curiosity as the signature becomes more and more clear. Sasuke recognizes it as the same signature the girl used when they had first met.

The blond moves and the fox yawns and stretches, acting similar to a cat. The fox grows in size and another tail appears by the first. The fox is now as big or bigger than Akamaru. Both the girl and the fox drop into ready positions.

The girl attacks first by drawing several kunai and throwing them at the fox, using her chakra to add t their speed. The fox dodges and attacks her using a strange form of taijutsu. The girl exchanges several blows with the fox before they both jump back to replan their attacks.

They run at each other again and they start forming the hand signs one would use for a transformation. The foxes paws meet with the girls stomach at the same time as her hands touch his chest. There are two plumes of smoke and when they clear both boys jaws drop.

In the place of Naru is a small blond fox. The fox has changed too. In the kitsune's place is a tall man with long, red hair. The man smirks down at the golden fox. "Looks like we tied." The fox growls at him but he laughs it off.

He looks up at the two boys that are still at the edge of the clearing. "We're done now, so we can head back if you want." He tells them. Sai is the first to turn and start towards the campsite. Sasuke follows closely behind.

Naru jumps past them and the boys follow her with the red-headed man bringing up the rear. They arrive back at camp right as the adults put out the fire. Kakashi looks at the three people and fox. "Where is Sakura?" He asks.

Sai looks at him blankly. "The last we saw she was here with you."

Kakashi sighs. "She said she was going to go with you a few minutes after you left." The Naru fox raises her head and sniffs. She turns her head to the left and yipps.

The fox man rolls his eyes. "Naru says the pink one is on her way back now."

Tsunade nods. "Thanks Kurama."

At that moment Sakura comes crashing through the forest looking like she was being chased by the nine tailed fox himself. She has sticks in her hair and is breathing hard. "Kakashi-sensei, I can't find Sasuke-kun or Sai anywhere!"

Kurama laughs loudly. All eyes turn to him and Sakura notices the boys are with him. She flushes in embarrassment. The man looks at the fox with eyes full of mischievous humor. "I can't even begin to tell you how grateful that you are not as clueless as that anymore."

Sakura turns an even darker shade of red and Naruto bites Kurama on the hand. Kurama growls and turns back into a fox. The two foxes start to wrestle on the ground for a bit. Tsunade sends Jiraya a pointed look and he sighs but gets up and starts to separate the two foxes.

He puts the golden one into Sasuke's arms. "You hold her. Don't let her down or those two will start another fight. He picks up the red fox by the scruff and looks at it directly in the eye. "Shouldn't you be getting back before we get to the gates?" The fox glares but disappears in a puff of smoke.

Jiraya looks at Sasuke. "Just keep ahold of her for a while. She has used too much sage chakra today and it will be easier for her to rest in that form. Not to mention she didn't wake me up for my shift last night." He mutters the last part angrily. Sasuke nods and an almost invisible blush washes across his face.

Sakura notices how the two already seem so close and starts to get excited. _Oh! It looks like my Sasuke-kun likes foxy ladies. I'll have to get Ino to help me get them together._ She vows to herself. After five years she still has her crush on Sasuke, but knows that it is mostly due to his looks rather than his personality. After he left to train with Orochimaru she went to several teachers to become stronger but in all that time she learned painfully little.

Every teacher tried to teach her their techniques but she was always more focused on her strength than any other methods. When her team mate had finally come home she was so excited that she nearly burst with happiness. She just knew that he would return to the village. Ino was there when he was being interrogated and mentioned to Sakura that he said something about someone beating some sense into him but she suspected that he had finally found a rival to really compete with him.

For a while she wasn't able to see Sasuke because of his probation, and when he finally rejoined team seven, not even Sai could put her in a bad mood. All the sudden this loud, bright girl shows up and her Sasuke-kun blushes for the first time? This girl was going to be perfect for her annoyingly quiet friend.

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Sorry for being so late! I didn't even realize that I haven't updated for a month...


	5. Chapter 4

Kakashi wakes up early and walks out of his tent to the sight of Naru as a fox curled up against his most troublesome student. Four years ago he left the village to train with Orochimaru and then eighteen months ago he came back with a very injured Itachi on his back and news that the snake-man was dead.

Sasuke was put on probation for a year. When Ibiki questioned him about his return he replied that someone helped knock some sense into him. The person told him the truth about his brother in the Uchiha massacre and Sasuke was determined to find the truth for himself. He found Itachi and they 'talked'.

When he learned that his 'hero' was telling the truth he and Itachi returned. This was after they had fought, of course. Both were injured but were glad to finally be home. Itachi was pardoned once it was discovered that his reason for leaving the village was a mission given to him by the Hokage and elders. The elders were blamed for the events surrounding the Uchiha massacre and they lost most of their power over the village.

The Sandaime almost died when Orochimaru attacked the village and Danzou had served as the temporary Hokage until Sasuke and Itachi revealed his part in the events that led to the destruction of the Uchiha clan. The man was found a week later face down in a valley not far from Konoha and although no one said anything out loud, they were sure the Uchiha men had something to do with it. Luckily by then the third was well enough to take up office again.

Tsunade walks out of her tent and spots the two teens. An almost maternal look causes her face to relax and makes her look even younger than usual. Kakashi watches in silent awe as her stress seems to melt away and pure joy takes its place. The golden fox yawns and stretches before walking slowly to Tsunade.

Tsunade sits by the fire and dishes out two servings of the pre-made food. She hands one to Kakashi and begins to eat the other herself as the fox makes itself comfortable on her lap. Sasuke wakes up and sits next to Kakashi nonchalantly. Kakashi will tease Sasuke about cuddling with the blond later on. Jiraya wakes up next and helps himself and eventually the other two students also make their way out of their sleeping bags.

Tsunade picks up the fox and places it on Jiraya's lap where it lays down and once again makes itself comfortable and falls asleep. Both Sannin laugh at this and Tsunade begins packing up the camp.

Sakura walks out of her tent and squeals fangirlishly when she notices the sleepy Naru in her fox form. Foxes may be bad luck in the village but Sakura can't help but feel that the fox is too adorable to cause her luck to take a turn for the worst.

Both boys look up at the sudden noise and they also notice the sleeping fox. They silently agree with her, though it does not show clearly on their faces.

The foxes ears perk up and everyone watches as it jumps out of Jiraya's lap and runs out of the campsite. A red-haired ninja followed by a blond kunoichi and a ninja wearing a hat that looks like cat ears appears in front of the fox.

Kakashi and his students prepare for a fight but Jiraya and Tsunade seem perfectly at ease with the three strangers. The fox leaps at the boy and in mid-air changes into the masked figure that they have gotten to know in the last day.

Their eyes widen slightly and they get ready for a fight but quickly become confused when Naru hugs the boy. "Gaara!" shouts the blond happily. Gaara rolls his eyes and smiles at Naru but the smile quickly becomes a small frown.

"Don't you know better than to attack the Kazekage?" Naru rubs the back of her head. "Yes but you are more than the Kazekage, you're Gaara too!"

The newest blond smirks and turns to her companion. "Pay up Kankuro. I told you she would say that."

Kankuro looks at Naru with playful dislike. "Come on Naru, couldn't you act a little less predictable when I bet money on you."

"Sorry." Says Naru looking not at all sorry. "We girls gotta stick together. I can't just make Temari hang out with you men all the time. Oh, and Temari, you owe me half of that."

Temari hands Naru half of the money and Kankuros mouth drops open. "What's the matter brother?" Asks Temari as she throws one arm over Narus shoulders. "If you keep your mouth open like that you are going to catch more flies than your puppets could."

He immediately closes his mouth and glares at the two girls. "You two set me up." He accuses

"Yes." Say both girls at the same time. Humor dances through Gaaras eyes at the two working together... and for his brothers misfortune.

A thump is heard and all nine ninja turn to see Sakura laying face down on the ground where she fainted. The other three look very confused. Never before has the Kazekage been so... full of life. "Maybe we should sit." Says Naru. They all agree and make their way to the smokeless fire.

Sakura wakes up and joins them but refuse to meet their gazes. Finally Gaara breaks the silence. "I thought you said you were going to take the mask off when you turned eighteen."

"I will." Says Naru with a shrug.

"Naru." says Temari. "Today is October tenth."

Naru freezes in place and for a moment Tsunade is afraid that she has stopped breathing. "Oh." She whispers.

"Come on Naru." Says Tsunade. "If you want to have a lot of friends that you can trust, you have to learn how to trust them first." She reminds her.

"Come on kiddo, Its been thirteen years since we've seen your face." Says Jiraya encouragingly.

She stands and removes the cloak first, revealing an orange and black outfit. She is wearing standard black ninja shoes that come up to the top of her calves. Next is a black pair of shorts that come down to about three inches above her knees.

Last is a shirt that looks more like a jacket. The top starts at her neck and is form-fitting but it flares out at the bottom to look like the fourths jacket without the flames. The two sleeves start at the top of her biceps, showing off her shoulders and flare out to end at the middle of her forearm.

On the left sleeve there is a symbol for the whirlpool village but it is slightly different because it is surrounded by nine black dots. The right sleeve has black flames running up it similar to the fourths, but these are only on the sleeve and not the bottom of the jacket.

Team seven manage to tear their eyes away from her unusually colored outfit as she unties and pulls the mask off of her face. The whisker marks on her cheeks seem to belong but they are shadowed with a faint red blush that dusts her cheeks. The blush darkens and she slowly opens her eyes.

Their eyes are drawn to the amazing color. Her blue eyes are the perfect mix of cobalt and sapphire, giving them depth and making them easy to read. Three thumps are heard and Sasuke tears his eyes away from the beautiful girl in front of him to see Jiraya, Kakashi, and Kankuro laying on the ground with nosebleeds. "Damn perverts." Mutters Tsunade.

"There." Says Gaara with a smile. "That's the Naru we wanted to see." Temari nods in agreement and Naru smiles. It brightens her entire appearance and Sasuke blushes a dark red while Sai stares intensely at the girl. Sakura's cheeks are slightly tinted pink, as even she knows that the girl in front of her is beautiful.

Tsunade laughs as she notices the small amount of blood coming from Gaara's nose too. He quickly wipes it away and acts as if it didn't happen and the other girls inwardly applaud his self control.

"Now I know that I have a secret weapon." Says Tsunade, voice thick with humour. When the others look at her in confusion she shrugs and points to Naru. "All I have to do is release her on the battlefield and have her remove her mask, and most of the male ninja will drop faster than if their lives depended on it." Sai finally turns a slight shade of red and both Naru and Sasuke turn an even darker red than before.

Tsunade's words register in Sakura's mind and she flushes in pure content. 'Not only is she taking Sasuke-kun away, but she has managed to win her way into everyone else's hearts too! It looks like Ino and I will have an easier job than I originally thought!'

=D =D =D =D =D =D BD

... I decided to do two chapters to try and make up for not updating for so long... ^.^'

Please tell me what you think of the story so far.


	6. Chapter 5

The front gates finally come into view. "Wow!" Says Naruto with an excited grin. "It looks so much different now!" A blond with pale hair is standing by the gate with three males. The first has a bord expression on his face and the second is happily snacking on a bag of chips. The third is none other than the Third Hokage himself.

Sakura and the pale blond glare at each other. "Welcome back forehead." Says the blond.

"Nice to see you too pig." Says Sakura.

"These three are Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru." Says Kakashi with his nose buried in his book.

Jiraya notices the book and nudges Tsunade with his elbow. "I told you it would sell." She rolls her eyes and 'gently' punches him in the face. The Hokage watches as his white-haired student flies through the village and lands right outside his office.

"Shall we go discuss the terms of your new job?" He asks nonchalantly.

She sighs. "Might as well. We can just meet him there." The Hokage nods in agreement and the two walk side by side to the tower. Sakura and Ino begin arguing but Naru notices that they seem to be having fun. She joins in and the three of them start a three way argument about the best flowers to give someone on their birthday. The guys all follow silently but are listening intently.

Shikamaru wonders how the blond has already managed to become friends with the two girls. Usually if someone tried to jump in, like the blond just had ,the two of them would stop talking and glare until the unwanted person dropped out.

"Troublesome." He mutters. _Now there are three of them._

Arms circle around his waist. "I hope you aren't talking about my Naru-chan." Says a familiar voice. He turns his head around to glance as his girlfriend.

"What are you guys doing here, Temari?" He asks, surprised.

She laughs and kisses him on the cheek. "Gaara had to come to talk about a continued pace treaty. The first one was made to be a temporary until he had settled into office. Besides, now that our main negotiator is here things will be easier to organize."

Shikamaru begins to wonder who their negotiator is, but drops the thought when he decides that it's too troublesome to try and work out. They soon arrive at the tower and climb the stairs. Jiraya greets them as they enter the office and no one is surprised to see that he is sporting a black eye. "New look Ero-sennin?" Snickers Naruto.

"Of course!" He says. "This way the women will be even more attracted to me because all women love a guy with battle wounds." Tsunade's fist meets his other eye. He falls into the street below ungracefully and leaves a crater.

"Pervert." She hisses. She closes and locks the windows. The Hokage sits in his chair. "Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji the three of you are dismissed."

The three leave and Shikamaru closes the door behind him. The old man turns to Tsunade. "After you and Jiraya kicked Orochimaru out of here I told you that I would only call you here if it was needed. You are needed. Our Young Sasuke followed in his footsteps for a number of years. He killed Orchimaru and is suspected of killing Danzou, both of whom have committed serious crimes against Konoha as a whole. As you can see he has since returned and he has also managed to find the truth about Itachi, who has also come home."

"What does that have to do with you needing us?" Asks Tsunade. "

You see, the reason I mentioned this is because Orochimaru managed to put his curse seal on Sasuke. It appears that someone has partially managed to remove the curse part of the seal while enabling him to still use its power." He explains.

"And you wanted to know if it was one of us." She deadpans.

He nods. "I also wanted to know if there was a way to remove the rest of the effects."

"Show me the mark." Demands Tsunade. Sasuke walks until he is standing in front of her. He turns and pulls off his shirt. Surprisingly ,to the three males on her team, Sakura doesn't react to the shirtless Sasuke. All of them look at her and notice that she and Naruto are in a quiet conversation with their backs to the rest of them.

Sai raises an eyebrow. "Pretty-boy is shirtless." He says bluntly.

Sakura looks up and gives Sasuke a once over. "And?" She asks. When she receives no response she rolls her eyes and turns back to her animated conversation with Naru. Tsunade spends several minutes looking over the seal with a frown.

"Jiraya, get your perverted ass back in here!" She calls. The man immediately appears in the window.

Naru stares at the man. "What?" He asks defensively "I'm a ninja. No puny lock is going to keep me out." She shakes her head. "It's not that. It's just that you look more like a racoon than Gaara does."

Gaara rolls his eyes. "Blame the shikaku not me." Naru laughs lightly. "As long as you blame Kyuu for the whiskers." She says before she turns back to Sakura.

Jiraya hops in the room and prods the mark with his fingers. "Nope. A seal alone wouldn't be enough for this. It seems as if the person that did this has an extensive knowledge of both medical jutsu and seals..." He trails off.

"Naru." He calls sweetly. Too sweetly.

The blond visibly shudders. "Yes?" she squeaks.

"How did you do this?" Asks Jiraya. All eyes turn to her.

"I- I don't know what you're ta- talking about." A bead of sweat runs down her temple.

"Yeah." Says Jiraya sarcastically. "And Gamabunta flies."

Her eyes widen in excitement. "He does?!"

"No. Now how did you do this?" Asks Tsunade sharply.

The blond sighs. "I made a seal that altered his chakra paths so that they wouldn't go directly to the seal unless he pushed his chakra there. Unfortunately I could only get his main paths altered because Kabuto was pursuing us. It didn't help that I had to care for Itachi as well."

"When did you have time for this adventure?" Asks Tsunade dangerously.

Naru flinches. "When Kurama and I went training." She says in a small voice.

"Get. Him. Here." Orders Tsunade. Naru goes through hand seals and summons the red-haired man to the office.

Sakura leans towards Kakashi. "How can she summon people?"

Gaara hears the question. "He isn't a human. He is the fox in his human form."

"Like Akamaru when he and Kiba use gatsuga* ." Says Kakashi when he notices she still looks a little confused.

The red-haired man sighs. "It's not as bad as you think." He says in attempt to calm her.

"YOU TOOK HER TO OROCHIMARUS LAYER!" Screams an obviously angry Tsunade. "HOW IS THAT NOT BAD!?"

He inspects his nails. "She is still alive and she learned stealth while using my chakra. She never even fought the pedo-snake. The boy had already killed him and all Naru had to do was knock some sense into the dark kid."

"That was you?" Asks Sasuke. "How did you get my brother involved?"

Kurama snickers. "She hugged him and thanked him." One of Sasukes eyebrows meets his hairline.

"You hugged... my brother." He repeats incredulously.

Naru shrugs. "He looked lonely." She says in a modest way.

"Then why did you thank him?" Asks Sasuke.

"He seemed like he was doing something that he didn't want to do but was doing it anyway." She explains.

Tsunade rubs her eyebrows. "Kyuu, you are dismissed." The red-haired man disappears.

"Why do you call him both Kyuu and Kurama?" Asks Sakura.

Naru grins. "It's because he doesn't like being called Kyuu. He says it makes it seem like we actually get along. We do of course but he likes to play tough guy."

"Naru, can you finish what you started here while I talk about my new role in Konoha?" Asks Tsunade.

"Yup!" Agrees Naru. She pushes Sasuke so that he is kneeling in front of her with his back at her. She puts her hands over the seal. A light greenish blue chakra emanates from her hands and Sakura watches in awe as her newfound friend works on her old crush.

The meeting takes three hours. Naruto takes two and a half hours to finish working on Sasuke's seal, leaving both of them tired. "It's settled then. Tsunade will take office next week after the formal ceremony. You and Jiraya can stay here in the tower. Naruto can stay with Sasuke and Itachi in the Uchiha compound. She will be joining Kakashi's team. Are there any questions?"

"Can I take Nauto 'home' now?" Asks Jiraya. The third turns his head to the two sleeping teens. Sasuke is sitting back to back with Naruto. Her head is positioned on his shoulder and half of her face is buried in his neck. His head is leaning on hers slightly and both look content.

Sakura feels a brief pang of jealousy but she stomps it down. She couldn't deny that Sasuke was beautiful, but she didn't want to like him because of his looks any longer. She had learned her lesson when she judged Naruto before she got to know her so she decided to look at people with more than her eyes.

For the past three hours she has been thinking off all the people she knows and what she knows about them. She knew that it's going to take a while, but she is willing to change. She wants to laugh at the irony. She has known the girl for three days and the blond has already changed Sakura's mind about her.

She looks at her two sleeping teammates again. _I need to tell Ino!_ She squeals inwardly. The two of them were going to play matchmaker. _This is going to be fun. And we can take pictures! I wonder how much I can sell SasuNaru pictures for to the Sasuke fan club..._

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

In the beginning I didn't really like Sakura because she and Naruto were super annoying. I just didn't like Naruto because in the dubbed version he always said "Believe it!" Yeah... that got annoying fast. I do ,however, love them both now. From this chapter on Sakura is going to be a lot more like her current self!

Foxy!

I would have PMed you to answer you questions sooner but it says you're a guest soo I hope this chapter helped answer some of your questions.

They are somewhere between 18 and 20. Naru is the youngest of the 'rookies' in this story.

Everyone else

If you are confused about the third, I'm doing the story as if Tsunade and Jiraya were in the village and were able to fend him off before the third could die and seal his arms. Gaara never went crazy because he had already met Naru and she straightened him out too. Tsunade and Jiraya haven't let Naruto return to Konoha until now so she doesn't know much about the village.

*Can someone tell me if this the right spelling for the name of the technique please?

Feel free to ask if you have any other questions. I will either PM you with the answer or put it down here.


	7. Chapter 6

Sasuke wakes up and rubs his eyes tiredly. _How did I even get home last night?_ He wonders silently. He notices a distantly familiar noise coming from the kitchen. He can't place why it's familiar, he just knows that it is.

He grabs his weapon pouch, clips it on, and takes out a couple kunai. Then he opens his door and walks silently down the hallway toward the sound. He stands by the doorway for a couple of seconds. Then it hits him like a ton of crushing bricks.

Someone was singing in the kitchen. He remembers his mother doing the same before the... before she died. He slides down the wall and just listens to the voice go through the melody.

I'm never, I'm never down.

Lying here staring up and you're looking down.

I'm never, I'm never down.

Live forever, forever with you around.

We've only just begun.

Hypnotized by drums.

Until forever comes.

You'll find us chasing the sun.

Itachi walks down the hallway with sure steps. Sasuke watches him as he passes by and walks into the kitchen. He peers around the corner of the doorway. Naruto is wearing all black clothing consisting of a tank top and shorts. Sasuke's jaw drops when he notices his brothers slippers on her feet. His brother sits quietly at the table while the blond continues cooking and singing.

They said this day wouldn't come.

We refused to run.

We've only just begun.

You'll find us chasing the sun.

She makes a satisfied noise and opens on of the cupboards and brings out some bowls. "Teme, stop being a creeper in the hallway and come eat." She calls. Sasuke's eye twitches. Teme? Creeper? Despite being insulted by the girl, he can't help but feel impressed. It's the first time any girl has ever treated like he isn't being worshiped.

Fan girls, and some guys, are annoying that way. "Hn." He forces out.

He stands and makes his way to his seat across from Itachi. Naruto sits in the third seat and starts serving breakfast. When she gives Itachi his, Sasuke thinks for a moment that the older male is going to turn her down. He has never seen the man do anything but drink coffee at breakfast.

To his utter astonishment his brother not only accepts the food but he also smiles at the blond. Sasuke freezes in shock and begins counting seconds. How much longer was it going to take for the world to end. His brother just SMILED. A more disturbing thought occurs to him. Had it already ended and he didn't know?

"Thanks Naru-chan." Says Itachi. Sasuke's world starts spinning. Finally it becomes too much for the younger Uchiha and he falls off his chair. He closes his eyes.

"I think you just killed your brother." Says Naruto nonchalantly.

Itachi snorts. Sasuke peeks over the top of the table with slightly wide eyes. Itachi has one hand placed over his mouth and looks as shocked as Sasuke feels. Naruto laughs outright. "You should see the looks on your faces! Your Pride is fun to squish."

Both males stare openly at the girl. _Fun to squish?_ Thinks Sasuke. "Oh, come on. Uchiha pride is like walking around like you have a stick in a place it shouldn't be. If I have to stay here than you are going to have to open up a bit... Or I'll go find a stick and give you a reason to act like that." Says Naruto with a smirk.

Sasuke blanches. "There you go Teme, that's the way to do it!" Sasuke swallows a groan. First he wanted to keep up with his brother. Then he wanted to kill his brother. After that he had to live with the 'pedo-snake' (Kurama's words, not his) while training to get stronger. Next he was back and with his brother. Now he had to live with a crazy over-enthusiastic blond. Just his luck.

Said blond is happily eating her breakfast. Sasuke watches as his brother takes a hesitant bite. His normally controlled features pull back in satisfaction and he continues eating. Sasuke takes this as the food isn't as inedible as he would have thought from the blond dobe and takes a bite of his own.

Flavors burst in his mouth and he has to forcefully make himself eat slowly. The food is fantastic! Naruto is talking about how she is going to go shopping later and Sasuke notices something. The house feels warm again. Just a week ago walking into the house was like opening a freezer.

He glances at his brother and notices that he is the first to finish eating and is following Naru's one way talking spree with interest. To anyone else it may seem like he is just staring at the girl and as if waiting for her to stop talking but to the two Uchiha's and their new friend it is the same as holding an entire conversation.

_This blond has been in the house for one morning and has already tamed the unparalleled __Uchiha._ Thinks Itachi with amusement when he notices that his little brother keeps glancing between his food, him, and Naru.

The first time he had met the girl she was carrying his sleeping brother on her back. Somehow she had seen through the barriers that he had put around his emotions and saw the sorrow he had for what he had to do. He had been absolutely stunned when she had hugged him even though he had been involved with the Akatsuki.

She even went as far to thank him, even though she had no idea what he had done to keep his beloved village and innocent brother safe. Those two words out of his mouth nearly caused him to cry but the next words out of her mouth are the ones that squeezed his heart and had given something he had long-lost. Hope.

He remembers those words exactly. "It's not too late you know. Even I've heard of the Uchiha clan and its fate. I never believed it though. Your mom saved me once, and I believed that you took more after her gentle side. That and I happen to know a certain pervert who knows certain information about how the clan was planning a rebellion that would have sent Konoha into a civil war. You are a hero Itachi. I brought your brother to you. Now you have to regain your bond and the two of you must decide if you want to go home. I've sent a letter to the Hokage telling him about your situation and since I can take care of myself he has agreed to let you come home."

The fox mask had covered her features at the time. It had one orange triangle and one red but they had each surrounded a different eye. Last night when he had put her in her room he noticed that the red now surrounded the orange and were on the left side. Her face is exactly how he had pictured it, but with the whiskers. Her eyes were something he could never seem to imagine though. Now he understands why. _It's because I could never picture someone with such pure and loving eyes._

He assumed that the new mask had something to do with the Kyuubi. He had heard rumors about the small girl learning to control and even befriend the beast, and he believes them. He spares a look at his brother and notices a glint in his eye that he was afraid he had stolen forever. His brother was happy. Even he could feel the swelling warmth of happiness in his chest. _Naru is our sun. I can't wait to see what else she will do._

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

The song is called _Chasing the Sun _By _The Wanted._

I'm sick today with nothing else to do so... yeah. Thanks for all the encouraging comments!

Oh yeah, did any of you other authors know that there is a spell check on this website? I really wish I would have known that before, 'cause it would have been a ton of help.


	8. Chapter 7

Itachi glances up at the clock. "You're going to be late." He warns.

Sasuke sighs. "Late for what?" He asks with a frown. "Yesterday after the two of you passed out, we arranged a meeting between all the rookies and Gai's team so that Naru could get to know the ninja around her age."

Naru's eyes light up. "Come on Sasuke! We have to go meet them!"

Sasuke inwardly groans. _I already know all of them!_ He wants to protest. Most of them still don't trust him, and he can't really blame them for that.

Naru grabs his arm and pulls him along behind her. "Come on, teme!"

The girl stops suddenly and lets go of Sasuke. She frowns and glances between Sasuke and her shoes. "What?" Asks Sasuke.

"Where are we going exactly?" She asks quietly. Sasuke sighs and grabs the girls hand.

"It's this way." The two walk in silence and it takes Sasuke several moments to remember that he is still holding the blonds hand.

He forces down a blush and glances over to her. She is glancing around with wide eyes with her hand firmly latched onto his. He decides that it's better to keep ahold of her so he doesn't lose her in the crowd so the two of them continue, hand in hand.

The two are the last ones to arrive at the team sevens training grounds. The others are gathered around Sakura and asking her questions. As the two get closer they begin to hear some of what is being said.

"What does she look like?"

"Is she full of youth?"

"How does she know Gaara?"

"Is it true that she was raised by Tsunade-sama and Jiraya-san?"

"Is she strong?"

Sasuke watches the girl as she takes a deep breath and walks into the clearing. None of the ninja are paying attention to the new arrivals so they casually join the group. Sakura seems flustered by all the questions and glances around at her friends faces. Neji and Shikamaru are sitting quietly off to the side, not even bothering to try to join the conversation.

Sakura's eyes finally find the blue-eyed blond and she mentally sighs in relief. "I'm glad you could make it." She says. A hush descends upon the small group and they all turn to the blond. The white dog is the first to greet her. He slowly walks to her and sniffs her hand. Then he barks and his tongue rolls out of his mouth in a happy way.

A boy with fang like markings in his cheeks steps forward and lays his hand on the dogs shoulder. "You smell like the forest." He says bluntly.

The blond shrugs and smiles. "Probably because that's where I like to spend most of my time. The dog sniffs her again. A playful smile stretches across her face.

She weaves her way through some hand signs and taps herself on the stomach. A cloud of smoke surrounds the girl and she is momentarily lost from sight. When the smoke clears A blond fox the same size as the dog stands in her place. The fox playfully stomps on the ground and then it starts to play with the dog.

Sasuke watches as the two animals roll on the dirt. "Naru." He says. The fox looks up at him with questioning eyes so he answers the silent question. "We are here so that you can meet everyone, not just Akamaru." The fox seems to deflate a bit and another cloud of smoke appears and then disappears, revealing a sheepish looking Naruto.

"Sorry." She apologizes. "I just have a thing with animals."

"Naru!" Says Sakura brightly. "How do you like Konoha so far?"

Naru smiles brightly. "I like it the best! Everywhere else always had something missing and Ero-sennin said that it could just be because my family wasn't there. Although I did almost try to stay in the old whirlpool village but decided against it when I got promoted again."

Naru notices the confused look on the faces surrounding her. "If you want to ask questions I'll answer them to the best of my ability." She says.

A shy girl with pale eyes and dark hair speaks up first. "E-everywhere else?" She questions.

"Oh yeah, I forgot! Ero-sennin and Baa-chan have taking me all over. I've been lucky enough to be trained in each village and considered a high-ranking Jounin in all of them. They were all really cool places but I still feel the most at home here."

The group including Sasuke stare at the girl in open amazement and disbelief. "Aren't there rules about that? The hidden villages aren't on very good terms so why would they all let you train?" Asks a boy in all green.

"Well ,bushy brows, none of them agreed at first but after a while I became friends with the right people and they trusted me enough to let me learn a few things and named me to be at jounin level in their villages. Accept I'm not an official ninja, just of jounin rank."

"Do they know that you are planning to live in Konoha and become an official ninja here?" Asks Shikamaru.

"Of course! I have no reason to keep that from them. I have helped all of the kage in some way and asked not be taught anything that should remain a secret in return. The Raikage was hard to convince though. It took Bee and I nearly three months to assure him that I wasn't out to kill him and capture Bee."

"Shouldn't we be introducing ourselves to Naru rather than interrogating her?" Asks a boy with dark sunglasses and raised hood. The others all seem to agree and begin to introduce themselves.

When they finish Naru also introduces herself. "My name is Namekaze-Uzumaki Naru. I'm 18 years old and my favorite color is orange and ramen is the food of the gods!"

Several of the people in the group sweatdrop. _Orange on a ninja?_ Shikamaru frowns. 'Why does Namekaze sound so familiar?' He wonders. He is pulled from his thoughts when Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro appear on the training ground.

"Gaara!" Yells Naru happily as she leaps at him. She lands on his gourd and places her head on his shoulder. Most of the group is astonished to see the normally composed Kazekage smile openly and pat the girl on the head. He says something they can't hear and the girl frowns and jumps off the gourd.

The two of them hug and the girl punches the puppet master of the group on the arm. Temari kisses the girls forehead and the three of them leave again. The girl stands and watches them leave with a bitter-sweet smile .Wheels start to turn in Shikamaru's head. _Just who is this girl?_ He was going to do some major research.

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Special thanks to Ivyfeather319 for pointing out a major mistake! Also I have changed a few minor things in the story. One is that Naru and the gang are between 18-20.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have this new SasuFemNaru story in mind that I wanted to get written down before I forgot about it and I wanted to get my other story updated. I have about a chapter and a half down so far on the new story.

Anyway I'm going to call it Ryou. {... It's finished now if you want to check it out...}

Tell me what you think!


	9. Chapter 8

Later the same night Shikamaru finds himself in the library searching for the name Namekaze. He searches the not so well known clans fist thinking that it could just be a lower class clan. When he doesn't find anything there he walks to the civilian clans to see if prehaps the girl happened to come from a civilian family.

When he still finds nothing referring to a Namekaze he lets out a tired sigh. He knows the name, but he can't place it exactly. Suddenly the moon breaks through the clouds and shines brightly through the window. He looks lazily through the glass at the Hokage mountain. Tsunade's face is to start being carved upon it within the next week.

The man sweeps his tired gaze across the faces. He freezes and looks back at the fourth. A groan finds its way out of him and he resists the small urge to throw a childish temper tantrum. "I should have known." He whispers. He walks to the section containing information on the previous Hokage and quickly finds the file on the Fourth.

He flips it open and scans through until he finds the name to confirm his suspicion. The fourths name is Namekaze Minato. He frown as he reads deeper into the file. He can't find any information on a wife or child, but there is a brief paragraph about a girlfriend named Uzumaki Kushina.

Naru said that her name was Namekaze-Uzumaki so he supposes it's very possible that with how famous the Fourth was he would want to keep his girlfriend/wife and child safe by keeping them a secret. On the last page he finds a picture of Minato with his gennin team. Two of the three students have large, happy grins on their faces while the third and most familiar has an unhappy scowl hidden under a blue mask.

Shikamaru inspects the young Kakashi for a couple seconds more before he switches his gaze to none other than the Fourth himself. Shikamaru's jaw drops and he nearly releases the book in his shock. The man is so young! He knows that the blond was the youngest Hokage to take office but it still surprises him that such an innocent looking man could be such a deadly war hero.

That's not all that shocks Shikamaru. The Fourths hair is the same color blond as Naru's. Not many people have hair that bright and there is no way either one of them dyed their hair. He slowly closes the book and moves to put it back on the shelf but a slip of paper falls out of the binding and onto the floor. He bends down and picks it up. His eyes widen at what is written:

Minato and Kushina

September 21

I have just named godfather of Namekaze-Uzumaki Naruto! And I named her!

He quickly flips the paper over. On it he finds a photograph of a very pregnant red-head who he assumes to be Kushina. The woman is standing next to the Fourth with her hand placed lovingly on his shoulder while his hand covers hers and his blue eyes shine as brightly as her blue-green ones do. It is obvious that Naruto gets her facial structure from her mother while she gets her coloring from her father. Both people look happy and seem to be laughing at whoever is taking the picture.

The love and warmth seem to radiate out of the picture. Shikamaru smiles gently. The sound of the library door opening and closing alerts him to the fact that someone else has entered the library. He quickly hides the picture back where he found it and puts the book back into place.

Then he hides two rows away from the shelf and listens as not one, but two pairs of footsteps make their way to the spot he had occupied seconds earlier. "Boy, you can come out now, we know you are there."

Shikamaru sighs. "Troublesome." He mutters.

He walks back to his previous spot and stands with his hands in his pockets as the two Sannin watch the shadow manipulator warily. "So how much did you find out?" Asks Jiraya.

"Most of it." He answers. Both Sannin frown.

"Look." He says. "I just wanted to know why Namekaze sounded so familiar. I don't care that Naruto is the daughter of the fourth and I have no intention of spreading it around the village. It would be troublesome to be asked questions about her when I only know the basic background story."

He walks past them towards the door. "And Jiraya-san. Don't forget your picture."

The white-haired man blinks. "How did you know it was mine?"

Shikamaru shrugs. "Nobody else has such sloppy handwriting." Then he turns around and walks out followed by Tsunade's laughter.

* * *

Naru walks into the house with Sasuke following closely behind. "So how did it go?" He asks suddenly.

Naru smiles brightly. "Everyone was welcoming and they introduced themselves. I can't wait to get to know them and they seem like awesome comrades to have!" Sasuke frowns. "Use your words Teme, I don't speak silent." She says lightly as they sit around the kitchen table.

Sasuke's frown deepens but he answers her anyway. "How did you get all of that out of one conversation? He questions her.

The blond looks at him quizzically. "I sensed their chakra. Everyone's chakra has a certain feel to it depending on their personality. Konoha has an unusual amount of bright chakra so I already know that the people here are kind. Most sensor type ninja can tell what a persons chakra feels like but if someone is open enough and has enough chakra then they can be felt without being a sensor!"

The girl yawns and excuses herself. Sasuke's eyes watch her until she disappears into her room. Itachi chuckles. "In this house ,little brother, Naru is our sun. Haven't you noticed that in the short time that girl has been here our house has turned into a home?" With those words he too retires to his bedroom. Sasuke sits silently at the table and thinks about the others words.

He has sensed the change in the house but he assumed that it had to do with the feelings that had popped up unbidden whenever the blond was around him. He blushes slightly and glances at his hand. Her hand had been warm and calloused by the ninja training she had received, but it still seemed so soft. He places his head on the table with his hand still out in front of him and tries to sort out his new feelings. He eventually gives into his exhaustion and lets his eyes drift closed. His last though is of the blond as she smiles happily and the sun gently lights up her hair. A smile lifts the corners oh his mouth and he slips into sleep.

That night he dreams of an orange sun that moves closer to him with every step he takes in its direction. The dream seems to keep away all of his usual nightmares, so for the first time since the massacre, he sleeps restfully.

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Ok so not a lot happened in this chapter but that's mainly because I know what I want to do but have no idea how to do it... I hope to update soon but in the meantime please please please be patient with me! I have no idea how to write the next couple chapters in a different but undeniably familiar way...


	10. Chapter 9

A deafening noise rocks through Konoha. Sasuke wakes up and quickly runs out into the hallway. Itachi is already standing there in his pajamas looking around with his sharingan activated. Naru comes out of her room fully dressed and runs past the two older males.

Sasuke and Itachi exchange glances before they run into their rooms and change into their regular shinobi outfits. Sasuke jumps out of his window and follows Naru's chakra signature. Itachi meets up with him and they follow their blond companion to the Hokage tower.

Naruto is standing with her arms crossed beside Jiraya who is in a heated discussion with the Gondaime and Sondaime. "I didn't think Akatsuki would attack so soon after we had arrived. At this very moment there are six men attacking Konoha at six different locations." Says Jiraya.

Tsunade frowns. "We have to stop them before they can destroy the village."

The Sondaime nods his head in agreement. "Lets not forget that they are also here for Naru-chan. What plan of action do you plan to take?"

Naru glances up at Itachi and Sasuke and then back at the adults. "I want to show the villagers just what kind of demon I am. Ero-sennin and I can both use sage mode, and if these guys are Akatsuki then we are going to need the edge."

The adults look at the girl. "How long are you going to need to gather energy?" Asks Tsunade to the two.

"Three to five minutes." Says Jiraya immediately. "I have to be able to summon Ma and Pa."

Naru looks thoughtful. "I will probably need about ten minutes, because I have to gather the energy and make a couple clones to hold onto it until I need it."

The Hokage and former Hokage nod. "Sasuke, you and Itachi watch over these two. Make sure that they do not move. As soon as they lose their concentration, they will have to start over in gathering natural chakra." Says the former.

"Hai." Agree the brothers.

With that Tsunade jumps through the window followed closely by her mentor. Jiraya bites his thumb and uses the blood to make new marks across the already existing ones on his cheeks. Then Jiraya and Naru settle into meditating positions on the floor while Itachi speeds up to the roof to keep an eye out for any incoming attacks.

Sasuke locks the door an takes the time to closely examine the blond-haired teen. Her features are calm and they give her a peaceful look. Her expression somehow makes him sad though. It seems more natural for the girl to smile and laugh. With her face held so still, she almost seems like a totally different person.

An image of the girl laying on the floor like he had found his parents comes unbidden into his head. He drops into a crouch and holds his temples in his hands and tries to force away the image. The sound of rustling fabric draws his attention but the images keep running through his head like a movie that won't stop.

A hand is placed on his shoulder and he looks up into the slightly disturbing face of the toad sage. The man smiles gently and helps Sasuke out of his crouch before he kicks off his shoes and jumps through the open window. Sasuke notices the frogs perched on the mans shoulders for the first time and wonders if Naru will end up looking the same. Sasuke's gaze softens when he realizes that the images have stopped. _Thank you._ He calls mentally after the man.

He looks back down at the silent girl and nearly jumps out the window when Itachi walks through the door. "I locked that for a reason." He tells the older male.

Itachi shrugs. "Most ninja know how to pick a lock little brother. Something like that isn't going to keep them out for more than a second."

A series of loud explosions draws both men's attention to the window where they can see smoke and dust being blown up by the wind. A giant bird summon appears above the smoke and dives down, obscuring it from view.

Several more large explosions go off, worrying both men as to the health of the Sannin and their mentor. The faint sound of rustling fabric once again pulls Sasuke's attention away from his own thoughts to the person on the floor. Naru is now standing upright but the outside corners of her eyes are now covered in a strange orange tint that oddly seems to fit with her personality.

She crosses her first two fingers on each hand and calls out the name of a jutsu that brings two shadow clones into existence. Both of the clones sit on the floor and immediately go back into their meditative stances. "Naru, are you ready? It's not looking too good out there." Asks Itachi.

Naru's eyes slowly open. Her blue eyes are now more of a honey colored amber and her pupils are horizontal. She nods and jumps through the window with the two Uchiha following closely behind.

The three follow the smoke to the 'battleground' that has been created in the middle of Konoha. Tsunade looks ready to collapse and the Sondaime is nowhere to be seen. Jiraya is holding his left arm to his chest and his right is hanging limply by his side. Even as the trio watches his sage mode runs out. A man with long orange hair pulled back into a pony tail slaps his hand on the ground, summoning a large three-headed dog. Naru pushes more chakra into her feet and lands in front of her sensei before she copies the mans actions and does a summon of her own.

Three large toads pop into existence and they waste no time in battling with the dog. Another enemy makes a move towards Tsunade but Naru is faster and manages to kill him before he can touch her. "Gamakichi!" Calls the girl. A smaller but still large frog appears behind the girl. "I need you to take Baa-chan and Ero-sennin and get them to a med-nin, fast."

"Understood." Says the toad.

"Before I go, take Katsuyu." Says Tsunade. "I know she will be useful to you in defeating Pain."

Naru takes the slug and places her safely into her pocket. The next Pain attacks without warning. Katsuyu pokes her head out of Naru's clothes. "Naru, ninjutsu won't work on this one, he just absorbs all the techniques. Not only that, but all their eyes are linked so the only way to fight them fairly is one on one."

"I see." Says Naru.

When the man gets close enough to her, she uses her left hand to draw the mans attention away and uses her right to throw a punch at his face. The man dodges but the nature energy lands a hit, sending him flying backwards.

The Pain in charge looks at his fallen comrade before he turns to Naruto. "I see that you have also learned from Jiraya-sensei."

Naru doesn't look surprised by his words. "You must be Yahiko. Ero-sennin has mentioned you once before." The mans features don't even twitch.

"Then you should be able to understand my reasoning for a way of obtaining peace." He tells her.

Naru glares at the man. "After everything you have done, you call this peace?" She calls two shadow clones and quickly forms a jutsu that neither Sasuke or Itachi have ever seen before. Itachi grabs Sasuke by the collar and drags him up the slope towards safety. Sasuke glares at his brother once he is released but the older man ignores him and turns to Jiraya. Sakura is working on his injuries and he looks slightly better than he had before. The white haired man cracks open an eye and looks down at the battlefield. A pained smile spreads across his face. "It looks like she finished the Rasen-Shuriken." Says Jiraya.

"As soon as I get up that kid is going to get a beating. I told her not to use it." Says Tsunade.

The teen throws the jutsu at the paths. Jiraya's grin spreads. "That won't be necessary. She just threw it, so it won't harm her." A grin that matches her teammates slowly adorns Tsunade's tired face, and she slips into unconsciousness. The jutsu hits its mark just in time to catch the member with the longest hair as he throws the summoner out of its range. The summoning Pain immediately attacks, forcing Naru to defend herself with a kunai. She can feel that the sage mode is about to run out and the leader takes notice of her slower speed and clumsier movements.

Through the corner of her eye she can see Gamabunta flying towards her and uses him to break the rinnegan's connection. The summoner is quickly defeated and the dogs disappear in smoke. When Gamabunta opens his mouth the sage mode runs out so she immediately crosses her fingers to dispel the first clone.

The clones chakra mixes in with Naru's own and she drops into a ready stance to prepare for the Pains next attack. She doesn't have to wait long and uses her hand to shatter the strange weapon that he shoves at her ribs. Then she kicks him away and prepares a Rasen-Shuriken. She throws it at the man only to have it absorbed by the Pain she landed a punch on earlier.

She glances over and notices another Pain with a strange mask like jutsu active and Katsuyu quickly explains that that Pain can revive the others. Naru clenches her teeth and forms anther plan. She powers up a Rasengan and throws a smoke bomb at the ground. Then she quickly transforms herself to look like one of her Rasen-Shuriken.

When Pain tries to absorb it she returns to normal and tackles him. The next Rasen-Shuriken comes out of the smoke, toward the leader. But he uses his ability to repel it. Lastly she uses her other clone to power up a Rasen-Barrage and drops it onto the regenerating Pain.

The three toads attack the last two Pains but they easily dodge. He waits for them to attack again before he uses his power to push them away. The three toads go flying and land with painful thuds in different places outside of Konoha. "We can trip up the Pain using genjustu." Says Pa.

Naru shakes her head. "I'm not good with genjutsu."

"We will take care of it." Says Ma.

Naru stands but before she can make a move she is dragged towards the Pains. The one that is not dragging her catches her in the stomach with his fist. He then holds her in his grip and drains away all her chakra.

From the sidelines Sasuke growls and moves as if to help her but Itachi holds him firmly back. Sasuke looks up at his brother but the older Uchiha only shakes his head. "Not yet." He tells him. Sasuke doesn't struggle in his brothers grip but he prepares himself to break free at any given moment. He wasn't about to let these guys hurt Naru. He activates his sharingan and looks down at the battle to watch for himself what was going on.

Naru tries to quickly come up with a plan but for some reason the only thing that she can think of is how she risked turning into a frog statue every time she collected natural energy. _That's it!_ She realizes. She allows herself to relax into the Pains tight hold and allows him to take in the Natural energy she's gathering. It doesn't take long for him to turn into a statue and she quickly breaks free.

The last Pain doesn't show any emotion towards his teammates transformation, and he instead uses the opening to drag Pa towards him. Naru tries to stop the frog from reaching the man but Pain is faster. His odd weapon pierces the toad mercilessly.

"You bastard!" Cries Naruto. Behind her Ma calls out to Pa as well, but Naru barley hears it. She attacks Pain but is forced to stop when he flings Pa at her and then drags her towards him and slams her to the ground by her throat. By now the sage chakra has once again worn off. There is nothing she can do as he flips her over and her hands are pierced through the palms to hold them on the unforgiving ground. Pa's body falls to the ground a little ways away.

The man stares down at the fallen girl. "I am doing this for peace." He says suddenly.

The girl glares the man. "After everything you've done, how do you call this peace?"

"Just what is your goal?" Asks the man without answering her question.

"I'm going to defeat you and bring peace back to Konoha." Growls Naru.

"How is what I did any different from what you are trying to do to me? I want to destroy Konoha because Konoha destroyed my home. You want to defeat me because I attacked you village."

Naru thinks about his words and is horrified to find how right they are.

"How will you fight hatred to create peace?" Asks Pain.

Naru closes her eyes. "I don't have an answer for you." She admits to him. "I created the Akatsuki so that I could end the cycle of hatred by destroying the current world and creating a new one from the ashes." Says the man, answering his own question.

Naru looks up sharply. "I may not have an answer but I know that one is the wrong one." Pain just continues to watch her emotionlessly.

"You have your justice and I have mine." He says. Then he thrusts his weapons into other parts of her body, pinning her thoroughly to the ground.

"Don't give up!" Calls Ma. "If you give up then I will never forgive you! Jiraya, Tsunade, and Pa fought tooth and nail because you have the power to change the world!" Pain raises his hand and pushes her away.

"Noisy frog." He mutters

"You jerk!" Yells Naru as she watches Ma's body fly away.

Pain raises his hand for a final blow but it never reaches Naru. She opens her eyes and stares at the back that is front of her. 'Nonononononono.' She can't think anything else. Everything just seems to freeze in place. Standing in front of her with a pole going into his chest and out of his back is...

"Sasuke!"

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

I just want to restate the disclaimer because this chapter is so similar to the manga and anime.

I don't own Naruto or its characters, unless you are talking about Ryou, but she is in a different story.

I hope you enjoyed


	11. Chapter 10

To Naruto, everything seems to stop. Sasuke looks down at the cold metal in his chest and lets out a soft grunt of pain. He uses his left hand to reach up and grab it. Then he smirks. "Chidori." Pain looks as surprised as Naruto feels as the electric current forcefully drives itself through his body, sending him flying about thirty yards away.

Naru looks at Sasuke just in time to helplessly watch as he falls to his knees. He releases the rod and falls forward to land on his hands and knees. He remains on all fours and pants, quick gasping breaths that are shallow and weak.

As she watches him breathe their surroundings seem to melt away. Naru hasn't known Sasuke for very long, but that doesn't stop the pain in her chest from making itself known. Anger, sadness, pain and fear all seem to intensify, making it hard to breathe.

Then, they stop. As if never there to begin with. Like stepping into the eye of a tornado. A demonic smile stretches across Naru's face. Pain stands and watches impassively as Naru forcefully frees herself from the barren ground.

The two males watch as a transformation overtakes Naru, and her true powers are revealed. Two fluffy ears make their presence known first. Beads of sweat fall slowly down Sasuke's face but he watches, transfixed, as the transformation continues. Naru's pupils shrink and turn into slits, and the sapphire of her eyes mix with the crimson of her tenants, turning them into a bright but dangerous amethyst.

The whisker marks on her cheeks lengthen and darken until they look like actual whiskers rather than unusual scars. Her teeth also lengthen even as they become sharp and lethal. Her nails follow suit. Sasuke has no doubt that they are just as dangerous as the sharpest kunai. He sucks in a pained breath as a wave of pain ripples through his body. He forces himself to concentrate on the blond, with the hope that it will distract him from the rod in his chest.

It works, but only just. Nine tails slowly appear behind the blond. Each is the color of her hair and is tipped with white. "You will pay for what you've done to Konoha." She says to Pain. Her voice alone is filled with great power and promise.

"If you kill me then the cycle of hatred will continue." He tells her.

She blinks and seems to disappear from sight before she reappears in front of Pain. "Then I will not kill you, and I will find a way to end this cycle."

Pain just stares at the girl. "One such as you ,who contains a tailed beast, is the cause of this war. War is the start of the cycle of hatred, therefore you will be unable to stop it."

Naru's eyes narrow as she glares at the man. "I wouldn't bet my life on that if I were you." Her fist connects with his face and sends him to the ground. His eyes widen and his mouth is open and gasping for breath that refuses to relieve his lungs. The edges of Sasuke's vision blur and blacken. He struggles to remain stoic as his arms give out and he falls to his side.

Before his aching body touches the ground two gentle arms catch him and cradle him into a comforting warmth. It takes him a moment to realize that his eyes are closed, but when he does he opens them to see who caught him. Naru looks down at him with concern watering her eyes with tears. "Lie still, so that I can fix this." She tells him. He nods and licks his dry lips.

Naruto stands and grips the pole in both hands before giving it a firm pull. It slides through Sasuke's chest with a squelch and Sasuke grunts in a mixture of exertion and pain. Naru throws it away and kneels by his side. She rolls him onto his back and whispers something to him that he can't make sense of.

She then places her chakra covered hands over his wounds and fixes the damage that she finds there. His skin flows together into a seamless line and tissues regrow into their former shapes and positions. The remaining pain disappears quickly as Naru heals Sasuke. When she is done her hands stop glowing and she lifts them away from his chest. Sasuke quickly grabs one before it can pull away completely. She glances at him questioningly. His pride doesn't block his gratitude so he verbalizes it to her. "Thank you."

Her answering smile warms his heart in a way that he has never felt before. "It's only fair that I save your life after you saved mine." She stands and her tails wave lazily behind her. She offers a hand to him. "Will you help me?" She asks him.

Sasuke looks at the hand for only a moment before he takes it. "Yes." Naru smiles again and pulls him to his feet.

Pain is just standing on his feet when Naru helps Sasuke to his. "What do you need help with?" He asks.

The girl shrugs. "I just need you to think for me. When I punched him I came into contact with some of those rod things. I think they are a form of chakra receptors. In order for Pain to receive chakra the manipulator has to be somewhere pretty high so that he or she can get the best signal. Any ideas where our real guy is?"

Sasuke thinks hard about the places in and around Konoha that would be tall. He opens his mouth to tell her that he doesn't know when an old tree comes to mind. "I think I might know the place." He tells her. Pain continues to keep the emotions off of his face, but then he frowns and his eyebrows furrow.

"Come with me. Nagato wishes to see you." Both Sasuke and Naru are surprised but Sasuke keeps his face carefully controlled in an indifferent mask.

Multiple papers float toward the trio and form a purple haired woman. "What are you doing Yahiko?" She asks.

"They interest us. We want to hear what ideas the blond jinchuriki has about peace." Says the orange-haired male.

The womans expression is nearly unreadable. She seems confused, but accepting. There is also an underlying hint of concern that is nearly masked completely. Naruto watches the woman closely for any hint of danger, but finds none. "I accept your invitation." She tells them, full of determination and confidence.

Sasuke struggles to remain calm. "Dobe. These people just tried to kill you and managed to destroy over half of the village." He says.

The blond smiles gently at him. "The walls and houses are not what makes the village. It is the people that live inside of them. People have died today, and if there is a chance that I can make this right without continuing a never ending cycle of hatred, death, and despair... then I will take it without a second thought."

Sasuke looks at the girl and can't help but to see how beautiful she is. Not just for her looks, but for her sense of self. He sees that she is willing to help complete strangers at the risk of her own life, and that is what he sees as beautiful. As ninjas, they all accept that there are some things that are impossible. Not every person can be saved. Not every situation is ideal. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. It is in the ninja code itself, and has been since the very start of the village. However, this girl has just taken that code and tossed it into a fire and then danced on the ashes while singing a happy song.

A smile tugs at the corners of Sasuke's mouth at the image of Naru doing exactly that, because that seems like something the unique blond would do. "I want you to stay here."

Sasuke's unusually happy thoughts come to a screeching halt. He's pissed. "What?" He growls. "I want you to stay here." She repeats.

"Why?" He asks.

"Because you aren't a people person." She tells him. He understands her point but he isn't ready to give in completely.

"If you are not back in an hour, then I will find you. If you are hurt then I will kill them, and then kick your ass for being such a dobe." The girl laughs outright. Konan and Yahiko turn and start running towards their destination. Naru watches them for a moment before she turns back to Sasuke.

Sasuke quickly makes a decision and acts on it before Naru can leave or he can change his mind. He grabs her shoulders and quickly kisses her. "I'll see you in an hour." He says sternly. The girl seems stunned for a moment before a light blush dusts her cheeks.

She smiles. "Absolutely." She leaves and Sasuke watches until she disappears. A hand comes down on his shoulder and he turns to see Itachi with a slight smirk. "So am I able to assume that was your first kiss?"

=D =D =D =D =D =D ;D

First off I want to apologize for taking so long. I got extremely sidetracked, but you all managed to hang onto a cliffie for a very long time! ^.^'

I hope you liked, and that you stick with me until the next chapter!


	12. Chapter 11

Itachi watches silently as his little brother turns an interesting shade of red. Uchiha's may not show their emotions clearly on their face but that doesn't mean that they are void of all outward show of emotion.

"No." Says Sasuke. The single word sounds strangled.

Itachi can't stop the slight twitch of his lips. "Do not lie to me little brother, it will not do you any good." Sasuke's face turns an even darker hue if possible.

"Where did Naru leave to?" He asks the younger Uchiha.

Sasuke's blush immediately disappears. "She went to talk to Pain, like an animal into a trap." Sasuke grinds his teeth together furiously. "She said she'll be back in an hour."

Itachi sees his little brothers problem. "You don't think she'll keep her word?" He asks. Sasuke's gaze meets Itachi's. "If she is even five minutes late, I will not hesitate to look for her." Itachi is slightly startled by this declaration. The two of them have barely begun to get to know each other. It has only been a week at the most.

"What makes you so ready to protect this girl while not a single one of the others has caught your attention?" He asks the younger Uchiha carefully.

Sasuke looks at his brother, with sincerity in his ebony gaze. "She treats both of us like we're human. She could see past your defenses and gave you a reason to come back to me. She also saved me from myself." He admits quietly.

Itachi sets one hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Are you sure what you are feeling is not just gratitude and lust rather than the beginnings of affection?" He asks carefully.

Sasuke finally looks away from his brother and into the forest where the blond disappeared into. "If I'm only grateful to her then why am I so worried? I know that it has not been a very long time, but I can't help but to feel like something is missing right now. I didn't feel it when she was here but now..."

Sasuke trails off. Itachi tightens his grip briefly before he lets go. "It is your and Naru's choice about where you take this relationship, if it should go anywhere. I will support you both in your decision in any way that I can." He tells Sasuke.

The younger Uchiha nods. "Thank you." He tells his brother. He climbs out of the large crater that was once Konoha's center and stands on the section of the wall that is still intact.

Itachi watches his little brother go with a small ,proud, smile. His little brother has finally learned what it means to live for another person. He climbs up the opposite side of the crater and stands beside the two Sannin and a team of med-nin. Sasuke's pink-haired team mate is working on Tsunade silently, but with a slightly troubled expression.

Itachi sits opposite from her. "Will she be alright?" He asks the girl. The pinkette looks up for a brief moment before she shies away from the eldest Uchiha. He may have been declared innocent but there were many who were still afraid of him, and more still that still thought he was guilty. Sakura seemed to be one of the ones that feared him.

"She should be fine, though it will take her a while to heal completely. She is completely out of chakra, so it's actually a miracle that she is still alive." She tells him.

Itachi nods before he looks at the other sannin. "What about him?" He asks the girl.

"He'll be fine too. He has a broken arm and a couple cracked ribs, but other than that he will be okay." She tells him.

Itachi quickly thanks the girl and leaves so that she won't be as uncomfortable. He walks silently through the abandoned streets, past crumbling buildings and other debris. Seeing his home in such a state makes him incredibly sad. He sees a hand sticking out of the rubble and runs to it as fast as his feet will carry him. He carefully digs around the hand to reveal a shoulder, which is quickly followed by the rest of a body. For a moment he just stares at the body but a wave of pain washes over him. It's the third.

He bows his head in respect for the older man. He mourns silently over the others death before he gently picks him up and carries him to the edge of the crater. He sets the thirds body gently on the ground and rearranges it in a way that he looks peaceful, despite the fact that he is covered in rubble and dust.

Itachi turns and walks back down the same street, now searching for survivors. A young girl runs around a corner of one of the buildings and runs into Itachi. The girl looks up at him and he down at her. Then she unexpectedly throws her arms clumsily around his knees and sobs into his pant leg. He stands stunned for a moment before he manages to snap himself out of his trance.

He gets the girl to release his legs and kneels down so that he can speak with her face to face. "What happened?" He asks her.

The girl hiccups and her small fists come up to rub her eyes. "H-Hokge-sama s-saved me but the r-roof fell and he wouldn't answer me." The girl breaks down into heart wrenching sobs. Itachi panics slightly. How does someone calm such a young child? Then a memory of one of his own mothers hugs comes to mind. He hesitates for only a moment more before he reaches out with unsteady hands and wraps them around the small girl. The girl reacts instantly. Her arms wrap around his neck and she buries her tear stained face into the spot between his jaw and his shoulder. The two hold each other tightly as the girl continues to cry.

Itachi finally stands. "We should look for anyone else that made it." He whispers gently. The girl nods and she slowly begins to calm down. He waits until she stops crying to stand. He moves the girl gently so that she is riding piggy back. "Where are your parents?" He asks her. Then he winces. _What a stupid question they were probably killed in the attack._ He mentally smacks himself for the blunder.

"I don't have a family." Whispers the girl.

Itachi turns his head to look at the girl but her face is buried in his shoulder, making it impossible to read her face. "I don't understand." He admits to her.

"My mother died when I was born, and father went to work four years ago and never came home. I saw him two years ago and tried to talk to him, but he hit me and walked away with his new family. I've been in an orphanage since I was five." She explains. Itachi hears the rustling of fabric as her hands tighten on his shirt.

"How old are you?" He asks the girl while picking around debris. "I'm nine." Whispers the girl timidly. "My name is Kariya, what's yours?" She asks.

"Itachi." He answers curtly. A large building has fallen over into the path so Itachi gathers the chakra needed to hop over it. He lands smoothly on the other side and continues down what is left of the street.

"Do you want to help me look for people?" Asks Itachi, trying to get the girl to relax a bit more.

"I... can't." Says the girl quietly.

Itachi begins to worry about the girl. "Why not?" He asks her.

"'Cause I can't see. Father used to hit me before he left and one time I fell, and when I woke up I couldn't see. He left the month after that." She tells him. Itachi stops in his tracks and pulls the girl to his front. She whimpers but doesn't move when he stands her on the ground and kneels in front of her.

"Open your eyes." He commands. Kariya hesitates but then slowly opens both of her eyes. Her forest green eyes stare sightlessly back at him. The girl begins to shake so Itachi takes ahold of her hand. "What's wrong?" He asks more gently than he though he would ever be able to manage.

"Are you going to leave me now too?" She asks him in a feeble tone. He tightens his grip on the girls hand as anger overwhelms him. Her father made the girl think that there was something was wrong enough with her that no one would want her. He forces his emotions to become calm and rational.

"No, I won't leave you." He promises.

The girl nods in silent understanding and closes her eyes again. Itachi swings the girl back onto his back and looks up at the sun to judge the time. It's been about an hour, so Naru should be coming back any second now. With that in mind Itachi feels around for his brothers familiar chakra signature. It comes as no surprise when he finds the youngest Uchiha at the wall where Naru disappeared.

He makes his way steadily across the debris strewn village to stand beside his brother. Sasuke doesn't show any sigh of noticing his presence, so he sits down and pulls Kariya into his lap. The girl is sound asleep, and snuggles into the startled Uchiha's chest. A fierce ,overwhelming, urge drives him to gently wrap his arms around the girl. He frowns as the sun comes out from behind a cloud and it's rays dance across the silent trio.

The girls brown hair is matted and dirty and several bruises haphazardly decorate her skin. He grinds his teeth, but doesn't move for the fear of waking her. A golden flash in the dark forest draws his attention from the girl. At first he thinks it was his imagination, but when he sees the flash for the second time, he knows that Naru has returned.

Sasuke jumps to his feet and races into the forest even faster than when he runs away from his many adoring fangirls. A startled shout echoes through the trees. Kariya immediately wakes up and looks sightlessly in the direction the noise came from. "What was that?" She asks Itachi with fear evident in her quivering voice. Itachi opens his mouth to respond when the sun is once again hidden by clouds. He glances up at the sky and notices for the first time, the storm clouds. A foreboding feeling races through his body, making his pulse reach a faster tempo.

"Naru!" Screams a voice. Itachi barely recognizes the voice past the emotional turmoil. When he does manage to recognize it his blood runs cold. Another piercing shout rings through the forest. "NO!" It's Sasuke, and something is wrong.

=D =D =D =D =D =D =P

Sorry for the wait, but there has been a ton of stuff going on and I'm finding it harder and harder to keep up with it all. Luckily School ends next week, so I should have more time to write. Thanks for being so patient!

Kariya is pronounced Car-eeeeeee-ya.

Let me know what you think!


	13. Chapter 12

Itachi stands and once again moves Kariya so that she is on his back. The girl clutches his shirt tightly as he jumps off the wall and runs as fast as possible without risking throwing the girl off his back. A bright flash of familiar blond hair draws his attention to a small clearing off to his left where he sees his brother and Naru.

Naru is on the ground with her head and shoulders placed on Sasuke's lap. The dark haired teen is hunched over her and Itachi can see the small movement of his mouth as he talks to her. Itachi approaches them slowly, fearing the worst. What if the blond is dead?

He stands over the two, blocking the sunlight. Sasuke looks up at the eldest Uchiha and does a double take when he sees the young girl clinging to his back. "I don't know what happened, she hasn't told me yet." He says quietly. Itachi looks at the girl and notes the gentle and steady rise and fall of her chest.

"What happened?" He asks his brother.

Kariya's chin rests gently on his shoulder now that she knows that nothing bad is going to happen.

"Yeah, why'd you scream?" She asks curiously.

One of Sasuke's eyebrows twitch in annoyance. "I didn't scream." He says.

"Uh, huh. I heard you." She argues.

"That wasn't a scream. That was a shout." He argues back.

Kariya sticks her tongue out at the teen. "Boys scream different from girls, so that was a scream."

Itachi's lips twitch upward as laughter threatens to bubble out. Sasuke glares at the girl who just keeps her eyes closed. "Regardless of what sound comes out of Sasuke's mouth, I would still appreciate having my question answered." Says Itachi before the two can go even further into their fight. The girl opens her eyes and they land on Naru for a brief moment before she closes them again. Itachi makes a mental note to ask about it later.

"When I got here Naru was jumping through the trees, but It was really unbalanced and she was swaying. I _yelled _to get her attention and she seemed to snap out of it and jumped towards me. She only took two or three steps before she tripped and fell. I _yelled_ the second time because she was going to crash into the ground head first." Explains Sasuke, making sure to put emphasis on 'yelled' each time he said it.

"So you _screamed_ because your girlfriend is low on chakra?" Asks Kariya.

"It was not a scream. Uchiha's don't scream." Growls Sasuke.

"Right, and Inuzuka's don't bark when you surprise them either." She says sarcastically. Itachi blinks. Do they? He would have to find out later.

"Turn on the dark, the light hurts too much." Groans Naru. She throws her arm over her eyes to block out as much light as possible. Itachi sets Kariya gently on her feet and looks down at Naru. "What happened?" He asks her.

The girl sighs. "The real ones name is Nagato. He's the one with the Rinnegan. We talked a bunch and then he offered to bring everyone back, and I agreed. What he didn't tell me is that it would kill him in the process. I helped him by lending him my own chakra and I did my best to heal him. He is a little malnourished and we're both out of chakra but we're alive, along with everyone that one of his 'Pain's' killed directly."

Sasuke sighs but doesn't say anything. Itachi looks at his brother as the worry begins to ebb from both Uchiha's. "Why don't we head back to Konoha and get you checked over." He suggests after a moment. Naru lets out a soft grunt and begins to sit up.

Sasuke picks up the girl whose eyes fly open in shock. She groans and closes her eyes again and hides her face in her hands. "I can walk on my own." She protests weakly.

Sasuke snorts. "Yeah, that's why you fell the first time."

She sighs. "Fine."

A small smirk lights up Sasuke's face. "Wipe that smirk off your face Uchiha, or I'll wipe it off for you." She mutters. A startled look in his eyes betrays how surprised Sasuke is by her statement.

Kairya laughs. Naru peeks between her fingers at the girl. "Who are you?" She asks kindly.

The girl grins shyly. "Kariya." Naru smiles at the girl even though she knows that with her eyes closed the younger girl cannot see her. Sasuke and Itachi both start walking back to Konoha, each with their own passenger. By the time they return to the village Naru has once again fallen asleep. One of her arms is draped around Sasuke's neck while the other is holding lightly onto his shirt.

The hospital is crowded and all of those injured during the attack. Sasuke looks around the area at them and sits in one of the waiting chairs. Naru is not as physically hurt as the others, so he prepares himself for a long wait. Itachi sits next to him and holds the small girl on his own lap. The Uchiha exchange a look and identical looks of amusement, that to and bystander looks like an uncaring glance. Hours pass by and eventually Naru's gentle breathing lulls Sasuke into a deep sleep.

He wakes up but keeps his eyes closed. A finger pokes his cheek. He slowly opens his eyes to the forest green of Kariya's own eyes. "What are you doing?" He asks.

The girl smiles and closes her eyes. "Your cheeks are fun to poke." She says as if it is a natural answer to give.

Sasuke looks around and notices that both Naru and Itachi are missing. "Where are they?" He asks.

"'Tachi said he would keep an eye on Naru. He also said to babysit you. Did you know that you snore?" Asks the girl.

"I do not snore." He says.

The girl tsks. "Yeah, just like you don't scream?" She asks sarcastically. Sasuke chooses to ignore the comment when he sees Naru run through the room with Itachi hot on his heels. Sasuke grabs the girls hand and pulls her along after him as he follows them.

He rounds the corner and only to stop in his tracks after the first couple steps he takes. In the hallway there are several injured people who are waiting for treatment. A woman is standing, weeping with two children pressed close to her body. A man lying on the floor with a bloody gash running across his stomach holds the womans complete attention. She makes no sound as the tears run freely down her face. Naru looks at the woman and children. Then she looks at the man on the floor. To Sasuke it looks hopeless. The mans face is ashen and his chest is only rising the slightest bit as he takes in irregular breaths.

Naru's hand hovers over the mans wound. "How many more are there?" She asks Itachi without looking up.

"This is the last patent that is any form of desperate need of help." He says.

Naru smiles. "Good." She places her hands over the wound and a green chakra emanates from her hands. Unseen to Sasuke and Itachi Kariya opens her eyes and is looking directly at Naru as if she can see exactly what the blond is doing.

Sasuke watches Naru in silent awe as she works. Medical ninjutsu is something that takes years upon years of practice. Sakura has been working in the hospital for years as a nurse, but he never took the time to watch what his pink-haired teammate did.

The green slowly begins to change colors. It slowly turns from green to a bluish green. Sasuke has never seen such a strange color for chakra. He hears Kariya take in a sharp breath. Itachi looks at the girl questioningly.

Without taking her sightless eyes from the blond Kariya answers the Uchiha's silent question. "She is using her own life force to heal him."

Itachi narrows his eyes at the girl but refuses to admit that he is confused. "She is completely out of extra useable chakra and is using the chakra that her body needs to function properly and converting it into what that man needs to be healed." She explains. Dread washes through Sasuke and Itachi at the same time.

A flare in the blonds chakra catches their attention. In front of Naru, the man with long red hair appears. Itachi's eyes widen in surprise. "Kyuubi?" He asks. Sasuke looks at the man just as surprised as Itachi is. The man ignores them and crouches in front of Naru. "Let me help. If you don't then I'll have a hard time healing you later." She nods her head and Sasuke notices for the first time how much sweat has gathered on her forehead.

The man places his hands on top of hers. Naru's chakra slowly turns purple as the man adds his chakra to hers. The Uchiha duo, Kariya, and the woman and her children watch as the wound begins to knit itself back together. As soon as the last little bit of the wound is sealed and the cut becomes a pink line, Naru and the man stop working.

The man groans and the woman stoops down and hugs his shoulders. She places a kiss on his cheek and whispers thank yous to the blond and red head. The man opens his eyes and looks at the woman. His hand comes up and gently cradles the side of her face. "I had the strangest dream. An angel came to me and told me that I wasn't allowed to die. She took my hand and guided me through the darkness. When we reached the light I opened my eyes and here you are."

The woman laughs and holds his hand closer to her face. "An angel did save you." She tells him. She looks back at Naru. "Thank you for saving my husband. The others said that he was going to die. They said there was no hope. What can I do to repay you?" She asks.

Naru smiles. "Live every day and enjoy every moment." She whispers. The woman smiles and helps her husband off of the ground. The four of them make their way out of the hospital. Naru watches them go.

"Kurama." She whispers weakly. The red-headed man looks at her and curses. Sasuke and Itachi look at the girl at the unusual show of weakness. Her left hand is cradling her stomach. Blood is seeping through her shirt exactly where the mans wound had just been. She looks at Sasuke for a moment, but he can tell that she can't really see him. Then her eyes close and she collapses.

The red haired man curses again. "Damn!" He collects her in his arms. "Go tell Jiraya that I have to take her to the demon summit." He orders them. Itachi nods. "Do what you must." The man nods back and the two of them disappear in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke looks at his brother. Itachi can tell how afraid his brother is about the blond by how his hands are clenched so tightly into fists. Itachi picks up Kariya. "You owe me some answers." He tells the girl. She nods and closes her eyes again.

"What just happened?" Asks Sasuke.

To his credit his voice only wavers the tiniest amount. If Itachi had not spent so much time around the younger male he wouldn't have noticed the miniscule detail. "As ninja we are able to use a certain amount of chakra before our body tells us we are empty. That's just a defence mechanism. Like when you hold your breath for a long period of time and your body tells you to breathe. You can hold your breath longer, it's just dangerous and hard. That is what Naru just did with her chakra. She forced herself to use it even though she was on empty. Unfortunately that means that she used her own body cells to heal his. So basically, she took the cut that the man had."

Sasuke's already pale faces blanches another couple shades. "If he was dying from that wound then how will she survive?" He asks. "Because he isn't the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no kitsune." Itachi tells the youngest Uchiha. "Naru is, and right now she is in the tailed beasts realm with him to be healed. When she comes back, she'll be better than ever."

=D =D =D =D =D =D BD

Woo Hoo, another chapter down!

Ok, so funny story. This chapter has been done for the past week. I've had it on my account and ready to go but forgot to update the story so it was actually supposed to be put up last weekend... Oops. ^.^'


	14. Chapter 13

"It's been three weeks. Why hasn't she come back yet? There is no way it takes three weeks to slap a bandage on a wound and return! Did he take her up a flipping mountain? Gah!" Repeats Kariya.

Itachi laughs. "So that's what he was screaming in the shower this morning?" He asks. The girl giggles. "Yup!"

Sasuke walks into the kitchen and sits at the table. His expression is blank but the dark circles under his eyes betray how worried he is about the blond jinchuriki. Itachi knows that similar circles ring his own eyes. Even Kariya who has know Naru for the least amount of time hasn't been sleeping well. Worry has quickly become the most common emotion in the Uchiha manor.

Sasuke eats quickly and silently before he pushes back his chair. "We're having training today so I should be home later." He tells them before he walks through the door and out of the house.

Kariya turns her face to Itachi. "When do you think she'll be back?" She asks him.

"When she's better." He replies.

Sakura arrives at the training field just in time to catch sight of a golden flash. She closes her eyes and turns away from the light until it stops. When she finally looks she notices the now familiar flash of bright golden hair. Kurama appears next to Naru in the next second. Kakashi makes his presence known as he stands next to Sakura.

Looks like she's back. Sakura watches as Naru starts going through hand seals she looks at her old sensei, confused. "What's she doing?" Kakashi is wondering the same thing. He lifts up his left hand and uncovers his sharingan in order to watch more closely. He only catches the last few signs, but they are enough for him to know that the girl is going to use a variation of the transformation jutsu.

"I don't know." He finally answers. Naru finishes her last hand seal and slaps her hands together. Smoke starts at her and Karama's feet and billows higher. Finally it covers the top of their heads before it starts to recede. Kakashi has to blink at the new figure in front of him.

In the place of the two is now one person. The girls hair is still blond, but it's much shorter and has a single red streak in her bangs. Sai arrives in that moment. The blond haired girl looks over at the three and smiles. Her bright blue eyes literally make the sky seem dull and uninteresting. For the briefest of moments Kakashi doesn't see the girl. He sees his old sensei.

His breath catches in his throat and his sharingan eye takes in the girls every feature. When the shock of seeing the look-alike wears off he notices the few differences between the two blonds. The girl still has Naru's scars on her cheeks. Her hair is only slightly more tame than Minato's was but is styled in the same way. The girl walks over to the trio and rubs the back of her head.

"I'm back." She tells them with a goofy grin. Kakashi is thrown back into a time when his sensei had the very same grin on his face. Sasuke is the last to arrive to the training grounds. He takes one look at the blond and then turns to face his team.

Sakura watches in satisfaction as his eyes widen and he starts to turn his head to look at the blond again. Not even half way through its turn, the movement is stopped when Naru lands on his back. "Sasu-teme!" She yells happily as she giggles.

"Dobe." Says Sasuke with a frown. Sakura isn't fooled by the fact that he is calling the blond names. She can hear the relief dripping off the single word.

Naru kisses the normally stoic boy on the cheek and laughs outright when his face turns a slight shade of pink. Sakura hides a grin that threatens to break through. With Sai here she can easily get him to paint some pictures for the SasuNaru fan club. _I'm going to make a fortune!_ She squeals inwardly.

Kakashi clears his throat to get his teams attention. Four pairs of eyes look at the silver-haired man. "Since we have an even number, I want to start by splitting you up and fighting one on one." He says as he pulls out his orange book.

Sakura walks over to Sai. "You and I haven't sparred in a while." She tells him. The boy shrugs and leads the way to a different part of the field. Sakura smiles. _Now is a chance for even more pictures!_

Naru looks sideways at Sasuke's face. "Wanna be my sparring partner, teme?" She asks him. "

Hn." He answers.

Naru grabs his ear painfully. "I though we talked about using our words, 'Suke." She says overly sweetly. Sasuke flinches and Kakashi sweatdrops. _She is definitely her mothers daughter_. He thinks to himself.

"Yes, I will spar with you." Says Sasuke through gritted teeth. Naru grins and lets go of the Uchiha's ear. He resists the urge to reach up and rub the soreness away.

Naru throws a kunai away from herself, and disappears to the place where it landed in a flash of golden light. "What's taking you so long, teme? Let's go!" She calls. Sasuke frowns (pouts) and walks slowly over to their half of the training field.

Unseen to the four teens, the orange book falls out of Kakashi's hand and into the grass below. His mouth is agape beneath his mask. What little doubt he had of this girl being his sensei's daughter just disappeared completely, but he had not expected her to know that jutsu. He looks down at the lovingly abused book laying in the dirt for a moment before he picks it up, dusts it off, and places it back into his pouch. His instincts were telling him that he's going to want to watch this fight.

Sasuke looks at his blond partner and notes that she is moving without pain. This means that he doesn't have to worry about hurting her as much. Then he notices her hair. Why is it so short now? He wonders. He's quickly pulled out of his thoughts when Naru starts fighting him using taijutsu. He blocks a kick sent to his head and sweeps an arm out to punch the blond in the shoulder.

The girl dodges by dropping into a crouch and spins around with one leg out to try and trip Sasuke. The dark haired teen jumps into the air, and is followed quickly by his partner. The two of them start fighting while they are airborne. When they get too close to the ground they jump away from each other, and stand waiting for the next attack.

Naru smiles at Sasuke putting him on guard. "That was good teme, so are you ready for the next level?" She asks him. He nods. The girl is the first to attack again but this time she is much faster. Sasuke has trouble keeping up with the girl so he activates his sharingan. The girl notices this and laughs, but doesn't comment.

The two of them are evenly matched blow for blow, without being able to land a hit on one another. Justu is slowly added into the battle, until the little spar is an all out fight to see who can land a hit first. Sasuke has to tap into the knowledge he gained while with Orochimaru to keep up with the girl.

"Sasuke, did you know that I don't naturally fight only with the style developed by Konoha?" She asks suddenly. Sasuke blocks another kick. "Really." He says while concentrating more on the fight than on Naru's words. "Yup." Says Naru. That's when her fighting style changes completely. Sasuke is no longer able to predict the girls movements because there is common pattern to them at all. The girls style is unpredictable and Sasuke is slowly pushed backwards.

The fight stops when Naru manages to pin Sasuke to the ground with a kunai to his throat. The teen glares at his partner. "What style was that?" He spits out. He isn't angry at the blond. He's just mad because he lost. Naru grins and sits on his stomach effectively straddling the male and keeping him pinned in place.

"I was raised a little bit in each of the other nations remember? I learned how to combine the different styles into a style that works the best for me, and here we are! I have tamed the mighty Uchiha!" She says happily as she throws up a victory sign.

Sasuke takes Naru's brief lapse in concentration to switch their positions. She pouts but he frowns. He dunks his head down beside hers. "Please don't ever risk your life like that again." He whispers. The blond protests, but he quickly silences her with a light kiss. "Please." He begs quietly. Naru looks up at the sincerity in Sasuke's gaze. "I can't make that promise, but I do promise to think about the consequences first next time." She tells him.

Sasuke releases a shaky breath. His hand gently cups the side of her face. "Thank you." He whispers. He kisses the blond again, just long enough to convey his gratitude over her promise before he stands up and helps her to her feet too.

Sasuke grabs Naru's hand and looks at Kakashi who is no longer alone. Sakura and Sai ended long ago and sat watching with their sensei. Soon after that Itachi and Kariya arrived to the field because the chakra spikes told of her return. Unfortunately for the duo, Itachi and Kariya are not the only bystanders that their spar drew. Half of the villages ninja population is talking excitedly over the battle.

Sasuke shifts uncomfortably and grips Naru's hand more tightly. The two of them walk over t the assembled ninja. Kariya immediately disentangles herself from Itachi and launches herself into Naru's arms. Naru is forced to let go of Sasuke's hand to catch the girl but he doesn't protest. He knows the yearning for a mother and can see that's exactly how Kariya already sees Naru. Naru kisses the girl on the forehead. Kariya smiles.

The assembled ninja disappear quickly because the fight is over, leaving the rookies and Gai's team. Kiba walks up to Naru and pats her shoulder. "Congratulations. We all assumed that the Uchiha's were a-sexual, but you proved is wrong." Sasuke glares at the fanged teen who smiles as Naru laughs.

"Trust me. They're just too stubborn to admit that they like anyone. They only seem cold, but underneath that they are actually very warm." Says Naru.

"Uh huh, 'Tachi even bakes tasty muffins!" Reveals Kariya.

The assembled ninja picture Itachi ,the ex missing nin slash Akatsuki member, in a lacy pink apron with a tray of 'tasty' muffins. They have a hard time knowing whether to laugh or fear for their lives as Itachi's gaze sweeps over them. They quickly disperse after that, leaving the quartet alone. Naru takes the opportunity to look down at Kariya. "Kari, how long have you been able to see chakra?"

=D =D =D =D =D =D =D

Can you picture Itachi baking muffins for Kariya? She could probably talk him into wearing the (kiss the cook) apron too! XD

Special thanks to thinker1234 for giving me the correct spelling for Rinnegan.

Extra special thanks to SunRae333 for the constructive criticism. I truly appreciate the help. Without grammar freaks all my stories would still be written with 'i' instead of 'I'. There is no need to be sorry for some simple ,well given, advice. I will begin to make the changes, but they might take a while. =^.^=

To the Guest that reviewed: Can you PM or review again? You said that the beginning was confusing but the review cut off before you could say how. ^_^' Thanks!


	15. Chapter 14

The little girl turns her head quickly to face Naru. Even with her eyes closed she is obviously shocked. Sasuke and Itachi exchange startled looks. "W-what?" Asks Kariya.

"How long?" Asks Naru again.

Kariya opens her green eyes and glances down at her hand. "Since I went blind. I stopped seeing normally, but could still see the shape of everything. I can't do it all the time though. It makes me really tired."

Naru takes the girls hand in hers, drawing her attention. "That's because your eyes are using your chakra. Both the Uchihas and the Hyuugas can do something similar. I need to tell me exactly what you can do."

Kariya looks up. "I can see you and I know that you glow than the others. I can also see the bugs, the grass, and the trees." She admits.

"Can you see behind you without looking?" Asks Naru.

The girl shakes her head. "No."

"Alright. I need you to watch what I do." Says Naru.

Kariya nods. Naru summons a single clone. "Do you how to do that now?" She asks the girl.

Kariya furrows her eyebrows. "I could see what you did. Your chakra split in half when you did that, but I don't know how you did it." She admits.

Naru nods. "That means that your eyes are different than theirs too. The Byakugan can see 360 degrees around them apart from a single blind spot. The Sharingan can copy any jutsu as long as the user possesses the same element. Now we know that your eyes aren't a type of Sharingan, because you would have been able to copy the shadow clone technique. That means you eyes are completely unique."

Kariya looks back down at their hands. "Oh." She says quietly.

Naru squeezes Kariya's hand gently. "It's not bad to be unique. If everyone was exactly the same, could you imagine how boring life would be? Trying to fit in is the same as being ashamed of yourself. If someone else can not accept you as who you are, then they should be the one to feel ashamed." She moves one hand up to cup Kariya's cheek. "You have nothing to fear from us."

Kariya looks up into Naru's eyes again. "I just don't want to be left alone again." She whispers brokenly.

Naru lets go of the girl, but only long enough to pull her into her arms. "We won't leave you just because you have this ability." She tells her.

Itachi steps forward. "You aren't the only one that can do something that no one else can do. Sasuke and I both have the Sharingan, and Naru is even more special." He tells her. "She is what is called a jinchuriki."

Kariya pulls away from Naru and runs to Itachi. She launches herself into his arms. He holds onto her tightly. Naru smiles and stands.

"Well, isn't this... touching." Says a voice from the tree line. "I came to see what all the fuss was about, and when I get here, I find a demon spawn and a demon." Continues the man with scorn.

Naru's eyes are on Kariya, so she can see the little girl tense up, and she immedietley knows who the man is. She puts on a fake smile and turns to greet the man. "You must be Kari's father. I must say, compared to Kari, you are a piece of human filth and waste of precious breathing air." She tells him pleasantly.

The man smirks. "A lowly demon, such as yourself, has no right to talk to me in that way. I am a descendent of both the Uchiha and Hyuuga bloodlines." He states proudly. Itachi and Sasuke share a look. He must be an _ancient _descendent. His hair is light brown, skin is tanned, and eyes are a similar green to Kariya's. The Hyuuga and Uchiha clan are both well known for their dark hair, pale skin, and distinctive eyes. However, it would explain Kari's eyes and their abilities.

A feral grin spreads across Naru's face. "Don't tell me that you honestly think I am a low classed demon. Do you even know how demons are ranked? I assume that from that smug look on your face, that you do not." She mocks with open amusement.

"First off, any demon could kill a bug like you as easily as you breathe in air. You are an _insignifigant mosquito _compared to even the weakest demon in his or her weakest state. The nine demons you know of are here to _protect _you from their own kind. _Normal _demons, for the most part have no tail. There are some cases of them having three or four. The Rarest tail for a demon to obtain is eight. Nine tails are only _ever_ obtained by the _strongest_, and most cunning demon. The ninth is only given to one demon at a time, so no two ever have nine tails at the same time. Each tail represents the amount of power a demon posesses. Do you know what that means? It means that my inner demon, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, is the strongest of his kind." She breaks off her rant to glow in the satisfaction that her speech has struck a chord within the man. Pure ,unadulturated, fear rolls off of him in waves as he realizes the true extent of her power.

She taps into Kurama's power, allowing the golden chakra of their bond cover her body and form nine flaming tales at the base of her spine. Then she reaches forward and grips an object that only she can see. She pulls it out of its hiding place and holds it at her side. It's long handle is both warm and comfortable in her hand. She's never gotten to actually gotten to use her favored weapon in battle before and the excitement of having it out once again sends adreniline pumping through her veins.

The weapon has a spear-like stick attached to a deadly blade at the tip. "A glaive." Whispers Itachi in utter awe of the weapon. Of all the weapons for the girl to have chosen, he would not have expected this particular one. Glaives are just not a common weapon among ninja.

Naru twirls the glaive gracefully. The man is still standing, shell shocked at the flashy display of the powers Naru has at her disposal. Naru sees this and uses it to her advantage. In a flash of golden light, she appears directly in front of the terrified man, with the glaive's deadly point resting on his collar bone. Naru leans closer to the man, so that her lips are directly next to his ear. "When I release you, you will kneel before your daughter and beg for her forgiveness. You are going to hand over any and all rights you have to call her your daughter over to me. After that you are going to turn around and return home. You are going to gather your family, and you are going to leave Konoha. You need not cross the borders of Fire country, but you will also not live within a ten mile radius of Konoha. You are not allowed to move back, however, you can visit briefly for any necisities to or in your life. If you do not do exactly as I say, I will release the Kyuubi to do whatever he wishes to you, after all he is very protective over his only kit." She commands.

The tone of Naru's voice leaves no doubt in the man's mind that Naru will not hesitate to do exactly what she's promised. She pulls away from the man and allows Karama's chakra cloak to disappear, however the glaive remains in her hand as a warning.

The man's eyes widen. He hadn't expacted to be let go. Naru's threatning promise runs through his mind again. Fear for his own life causes him to act, and do as the small blonde ordered. His eyes dn't leave Naru until he kneels in front of Kariya, who is once again being held by Itachi. He drops to his knees and presses both the polmas of his hands and forehead to the ground in a sign of apology.

"Please forgive my actions. They were unjust and shameful. I give all my rights as your parent to another and I will not bother you again." He tells her.

Kariya stiffens at being adressed, but manages to bow her head. "I accept your apology." She whispers.

The man stands, turns around, and leaves the way he came. Kariya's eyes follow him even after he disapears, and her eyes are glazed over in deep thought.

Naru rushes over to the girl, breaking her from her thoughts. "I'm sorry." Says Naru.

Kariya gives her a strange look. "What for?" She asks.

"I told him to leave. I should have asked you what you wanted before I made any decision about your life. Not only that, but I also told him that he can't be your legal guardian any longer. I never even took into account that you might want him to stay, I-"

Naru is cut off her guilty apology when Kariya throws herself into the older girl's arms. "Thank you." She whispers. "Thank you." She repeats. She hugs Naru as strongly her small arms allow her to.

Naru stands still for a moment before while she processes the girl's words. She is _greatful_ for what she did. Naru puts her glaive back into it's spot and snakes her arms around Kariya and holds her as tightly as the girl holds her. "I only did what I wished someone else would have done for me." She admits in a whisper.

The girls stay like that until both of them calm down. Naru lets go of Kariya, but keeps their hands interconnected. "Itachi, will you take custody of Kariya?" She asks the oldest Uchiha.

Itachi's eyes widen. He looks at Kariya. "Is that what you want? He asks her.

Kariya nods her head slowly. Itachi smiles, it's a small smile but a true one. Kariya grins broadly. She grabs Itachi's other hand. Sasuke seems slightly shocked. Naru rolls her eyes and grabs his hand too. "Yes, teme, Itachi is a father."

The Uchihas both blink. Kariya nad Naru laugh and lead the males the quartet walk through the crowded strees, people stop and stare openly at them. Never befora has any member of the Uchiha clan been so openly affectionate.

One couple in particular is happy for the two. The woman was the academy teacher before Iruka and taught the previous generations. Fugaku was a stoic boy, and didn't change when he became a man and married Mikoto. She thought his boys were the same. She has never been more happy to be wrong. She takes her husbands hand and smiles. He smiles back, without knowing why she is happy but simply happy to see his life-long partner so genually happy.

=/ =\ =D =D =D =| =D

I want to apologize for the incredibly long wait. My life has been quite chaotic recently and I couldn't find it in me to write. That and I've been working on other stories that have not been released. And on top of that my Naruto pairing has changed again. I used to like NaruSaku (I don't know why, so please don't judge) And now I either go for SasuNaru or ItaNaru... I go bak and forth between the two and was stuck on ItaNaru, which is what one of my other two stories is (The other story is a Yu-Gi-Oh! Fic.).

I also want to say thank you. You have no idea how much it means to me to have such amazing people encouraging me to continue. My first fic. is a very minor fandom, so the sheer number of favorites, and follows for Unexpected just makes me so happy.

Thanks for reading my fic., and I hope to update soon,

Kat

The new cover picture for Unexpected is the glaive I picture Naru using.


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